Rancor
by Ivan Ishara
Summary: [6 of X Chapters] Book 3 of The Ivani Chronicles: As the blessed force reunites for a single, catastrophic war, The clash of great phalanxes will ring out in escalating Rancor.
1. Shockwave

(Heh, yeah, it took me long enough to get up the forward momentum to start this, but it's come at last - the first of many chapters in my third novel. From now on, I'm gonna do all I can to avoid using these little side-note things that I've been in the habit of doing. I'm hoping that I can now express everything that needs to be put across in the narrative, rather than in my annotations. It'll also help me focus a bit better on writing, I believe. Now, Let's do this!)

The Ivani Chronicles : Book 3 – Rancor : Chapter 1 – Shockwave

With a violent tumbling sensation, TK found himself being hurtled from the TV. He could sense the presence of his friend, Kari, nearby. Both came to be in the same state of disarray upon completion of the world jump via the Digi-port. Though this wasn't the first time that either of the fifteen-year-old children had completed this leap, it never seemed to get any more comfortable. The only real brake that either person got was the ground. Thankfully for their knees, it was covered in grass at this particular place.

Rolling to a stop some fifteen feet from the unplugged, solitary TV, TK groaned where he lay. Kari's frame collided with his, nudging him further and generating a second grunt. The boy, lying presently on his stomach, pulled his body slowly into a kneeling position. With a stretch of his shoulders, he looked over at his companion, who was smiling at him. She was lying on her back. TK could tell she was holding back laughter. With narrow eyes, TK threw his head to one side.

"You enjoyin' having me around as a speed bump?" The boy said. Kari smirked, rolling herself up into a sitting position.

"It comes in handy, I'll admit," Kari replied as she bent her neck back and forth. After a moment's more of recuperation, she set her eyes to the horizon, looking for a sign of other people. "Where are we supposed to meet, exactly?" she asked, brushing a leaf from her light brown hair. TK shrugged in reply.

"Dunno," Kari's companion said as he followed her gaze. "I think he said that they would be here, but," TK trailed off. With a sigh, he realized that there wasn't much in the area that would suggest where the others could be. A forest lay to one side, rather dense, while the rest of their vision was greeted with a great span of grassy plains. The sun was beginning to lull in the sky, casting down angled shadows across the forest and grass alike. "I don't think they would have left without us," TK continued, attempting to assure the girl as much as himself. "They'll probably show up in a bit. Maybe they had to get some stuff in the woods first?" Kari looked at the tall, almost foreboding wall of wood and nodded slowly.

"Probably," she answered. She then looked away from the woods and rose to her feet. TK followed her lead, brushing off all the dirt and debris they had attracted in their rather unpleasant entry. When the boy was finally satisfied with the appearance of his body, he reached up and grabbed his bucket hat from his head. After doing what he could to make his mess of blond hair look somewhat decent from beneath the cap, he moved to replace the garment on his head. However, a large crash from the woods on his right jerked his attention from his hat. Whirling around and instinctively stepping towards Kari, he moved just in time to see a great tree come crashing forwards toward the pair.

"What a welcome," TK said under his breath. His arms wrapped around the girl beside him. He jumped, pulling Kari with him. The long branches of the massive tree lashed at the boy's back, but had far less effect than the trunk of the tree would have. Rolling to his feet from the leap, TK set Kari on her feet before looking at the base of the tree. A figure stood on the stump, though TK could make out little about the creature. The only obvious aspect was what he held – a great axe, with a blade roughly equivalent to the size of TK's whole torso. TK swallowed hard. He hadn't come equipped with any sort of weaponry to face off against an axe-wielding brute. Nonetheless, he placed himself in front of Kari while his mind raced. He didn't need to look behind him to see that Kari, too, was frightened.

"What cowardice is this?" the figure bellowed to TK. "Can you not stand against me anymore? Has Jason's army really become so fearful?" With a leap, the figure – TK now made out that it was male and humanoid in build – barreled towards the two terrified children. Half of the distance between them was closed before the man came to a stop. Then, abruptly, he noticed something. "Where's your weapon?" He asked gruffly. When TK couldn't find the voice to respond, the axe-wielding man took a step forward. "Do you robots think that you can mock me now by threatening me with your bare hands? Come, then-" the man threw his axe to the ground and brought his hands up, "I'll defeat you on any grounds you choose." TK took a step back.

TK, by this point, had come to the conclusion that he was not being threatened by an enemy, but rather by a confused friend. Jason, after all, was the name of the man that had tried to kill TK and his friends a year ago. With a stroke of memory, TK recalled the name of the man that Ivan knew, the other male dragoon on the planet. "Hakin?" TK said suddenly, looking intently at the man's face. His hands dropped slightly. "Are you Hakin?"

"What?" The man asked TK, confused. "Where did you hear that?" He took an aggressive step forwards.

"From a friend," TK said quickly, his eyes widening slightly as the man moved closer. "His name's Ivan, Ivan Ishara." The man stopped again, looking narrowly at TK. His hands moved slowly to his sides. "We're friends of his," TK continued in rapid explanation, "We met him a year ago when he saved us here. He and Madelyn came and helped us." TK looked uncertainly at the warrior before him.

"So, you say you know my friends?" The man said slowly, continuing to walk towards TK and Kari. "But you did not come with them." TK opened his mouth, but was cut off as the fighter's hands came back to the ready. "You lying spy!" With no further explanation, the man bore down on TK with a yell. Kari screamed; TK threw his arms up in defense.

The man's voice then cut off sharply. TK blinked behind his raised arms, wondering why the blow he expected hadn't come yet.

Slowly lowering his guard, TK looked at the man and saw a look of utter confusion on his face. His hand was stopped roughly a foot from TK's head, frozen where it stood. "He doesn't lie," A voice cried out. Looking towards the owner of the voice, TK saw a familiar face looking back. Ivan raised his hand, waving from the edge of the forest to the three. TK's adversary stumbled forwards abruptly as he regained movement of his hand. Ivan strolled leisurely from the woods towards the three others.

"You really mustn't be so hasty, Hakin," Ivan said with joking chastisement. The man, allegedly named Hakin, glared in Ivan's direction. The latter smirked, and then set his attentions to the still-confused TK and Kari. "I apologize for that," Ivan said with a shake of his head in Hakin's direction. He was presently retrieving his axe from where he had dropped it. "He tends to jump to conclusions when it comes to what is dangerous. Pretty much, anything that isn't a dragoon ends up on this list." Ivan shook his head, still smiling at the thought.

"Um, Ivan," TK began slowly. Ivan looked to the blond-haired boy, acknowledging his question. "What the heck is going on?" Ivan blinked, looked to check that Hakin was, indeed, returning with his weapon, then pointed to the forest from which he had come.

"We're leaving," Ivan said simply. He then began walking back towards the trees. Hakin fell in step beside Ivan, shaking his mass of long, unkempt brown hair from his eyes as he went. TK and Kari exchanged glances, still feeling thoroughly uninformed. "You wanted to come, didn't you?" Ivan yelled over his shoulder after some twenty paces. "We don't have time to dawdle around. Now let's get moving."

After a second glance at Kari, TK shrugged his shoulders in resignation. "Alright," he said quietly. He began shuffling after the other two men into the forest. Kari caught up to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder as they walked.

"At least we found him," the girl said brightly. TK forced a weak smile, his heart still beating about twice as fast as he would have liked. She pressed lightly against his back, forcing him to stand up straighter. Kari smiled. "It'll be fine, TK; we've only just gotten here, you can't back out so soon." TK nodded, knowing this fact as well as she did.

"Still," TK responded, "I'm not too appreciative of having a tree thrown at me after being here for only a minute or two." Kari shook her head, a wide grin on her face.

"It's about time we get used to it," Kari said matter-of-factly. "I mean, when was the last time we weren't endangered almost immediately after going through the gate?" TK realized the girl's point. He sighed, calming himself from the experience. The cooling shade of the tree's leaves that now canopied above him helped relax his body. Then, with a self-assuring nod, TK picked up his pace to keep time with the two people in front of him.

"I hope I didn't scare him too badly," Hakin said to his friend as they led the way through the woods. He held his great axe over his shoulder with one hand, letting his other hang limply at his side. Though shorter than Ivan, it was easily apparent that Hakin was the stronger of the two. His frame was nothing short of intimidating, with largely built arms and his sleeveless dark green tunic strained across his chest. The loose black pants on his legs gave away little regarding his lower body strength, but his aerial leap earlier gave clear evidence to his legs' power. A long, deep violet sash hung loosely on one of Hakin's great shoulders with two loops fastened to it on his back. The unusual purple color matched one of the four strips of leather wrapped about the haft of the warrior's axe – the other three strips were black. Around his neck ran a thin metallic chain that fell underneath the tunic.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Ivan said with an assuring tone to Hakin. "TK-" Ivan jerked his head back towards the two people following them, his light brown hair flailing with the action, "Is more than used to being caught in sticky situations like that." With a small smile still upon his lips, Ivan set to adjusting his midnight blue shirt. The fabric didn't seem to be able to agree with him. After a moment, he abandoned the cloth and shoved his hands in the pockets of his beige pants. When his right hand hit a metallic obstruction, he smirked. "I haven't had to wear this in a long time," He said conversationally to Hakin, gesturing to the hilt of the sword sheathed in a long, gold-trimmed black scabbard on his right side. Gripping the handle inversely with his right hand, He let his hand rest thusly on the weapon. Hakin smirked.

"Don't tell me that leaving this place has turned you soft," the shorter man said jokingly. Ivan chuckled.

"If anything's made me soft, it's Maddie," Ivan answered his companion. "But I've kept up with all my skill training and whatnot while I've been away. I just didn't think it would be a very good idea to stroll the streets of town with a lethal weapon on my hip." Hakin shrugged.

"Should've worn it on your back like me," Hakin retorted. His fellow traveler laughed again, shaking his head from side to side. Hakin smiled to himself. Then, after having to brush his hair again from his eyes, he thrust his free hand into his pocket. Pulling out a violet bandanna, He first tossed his weapon into the loops on his back, securing it, and then wrapped the thin strip of fabric around his head. Once tight, Hakin threw his hair back over his shoulders and sighed. "Stupid hair," he said lowly. "It never does what I want it to."

Ivan, meanwhile, had taken to running the fingers of his right hand along a thin golden chain, almost identical to Hakin's, that hung around his neck. Ivan's necklace, however, was not stashed beneath his clothing. The small, translucent jewel on the end of the metallic cord glinted with its pink and yellow colorations in the afternoon light. A small black etching had been made on either side, one in the pink crystal and the other in the yellow, which caused only further odd refractions of light. Ivan's fingers slid lightly across the crystalline object before dropping back to his side. He looked at Hakin when the latter continued to complain about his hair. "You're the one who refuses to cut it," Ivan interjected. Hakin's ranting stopped. He looked at the man beside him, his intent hazel eyes meeting Ivan's azure eyes and slightly smug smile. The two stopped walking, standing face-to-face in the middle of their narrow path through the overgrowth.

"Shut up," Hakin said after a long pause. Ivan continued to stare as Hakin began walking once again, his shoulders sagging slightly. Ivan could barely keep himself from laughing.

"Oh, what wonderful company I keep," Ivan said to himself. Then, after another encouraging gesture to TK and Kari, he shouted, "We're almost there, come on. Everyone's probably getting very impatient for us." He then turned and trotted back to Hakin's side. "This isn't the kind of catching up I had in mind," Ivan muttered to himself as he chased the stronger man down.

"And just who does he think he is?" TK said grumblingly as he rubbed his sore blue eyes and trudged after the others. They'd been walking for no more than fifteen minutes, but TK was suddenly realizing that his lack of sleep the previous night had not been a good move. His green shirt and brown shorts were drooping just as much as his head, hanging lowly upon his neck. Kari nudged him in the side, spurring him back into attention.

"He's our friend, TK," Kari said patiently to the taller boy. She again began pressing on his back, urging him onward. TK groaned, but couldn't but follow his friend and his axe-wielding companion further into the woods – he had come here by choice. Whatever part of his mind had made that conscious decision pushed with Kari at his back, knowing that he needed to go through with what he had committed himself to. He nodded slowly, forcing his pace to increase. Kari's smile redoubled as she came back to TK's side.

"Just so long as that Hakin dude keeps his weapon for smacking up drones and not me, I'll be alright," TK said, still somewhat skeptical of the massive weapon. He'd never seen such a large bladed weapon before. Kari shook her head in agreement.

"I wouldn't worry about it with Ivan around, though," she said reassuringly. "He seemed to be able to stop him quickly enough in the first place. And, now that he knows the whole story, I don't think he'll want to decapitate us anymore."

"I know, I know," TK said, rolling his eyes and chuckling. "I just don't want him doing anything to hurt my special little girl." TK wrapped his arm around the girl's waist as he spoke. She giggled in response. She placed her hand lightly over his on the white shirt she wore. Her fingers wove in between his. She then looked up at him, her brown eyes mirroring the grin on her lips.

"Thanks, TK," she said sweetly. She leaned some of her weight against him, placing her head gently on his shoulder. Then, realizing that his pace was lagging again, Kari sighed and jumped away from the boy. Her brown hair fluttering in its pink-scrunchied ponytail, she spun around to face her stunned boyfriend. "What?" she said slyly, "You think I'm gonna stand around here all day? We've got people to catch up to, first." With that, Kari turned on her heel and dashed to keep the other two males in sight.

TK stood, nonplussed, watching the blur of white and blue fabric that was Kari streak down the winding path through the trees. He sighed, shaking his head back and forth. "They never do cease to confuse me," He said to himself. Then, with a roll of his neck, TK set his own pace to a run. Straining to keep the blue-shorted and white-shirted girl in sight, TK found that the whole ordeal became a good deal easier once he had relaxed. Running felt easier than the walking pace he'd kept before.

Easier, that is, until TK's side began to have a painful tightening sensation. He grimaced. This whole ordeal was going to be far harder than he had bargained for.

"How much longer do you think they'll be?" The girl said, fixing her hair into a braid. She had no human companions beside her, but rather a large dog with jagged, striped black and blue fur. The two of them were in a small alcove of the woods, relatively nondescript aside from the small, exhausted pyre between the dog and the girl. The dog, looking only vaguely interested in their surroundings, rested his head on his forepaws.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Maddie," the beast answered. Maddie, the girl to whom he spoke, sighed as she let her hands fall to her sides. Her shoulder-length brown hair was now neatly tied in a braid with a thin red ribbon. The natural highlights of her hair glinted in the slanted light peeking between the leaves of the trees above. She looked forlornly in the direction that Hakin and Ivan had departed some time ago. "Any idea where the rest of the crew will be coming from?" Maddie blinked, looking back to the dog across from her.

"Same answer," Maddie said after a moment's thought. "Your guess is as good as mine, Houndramon." Houndramon groaned, rolling over onto his back and pawing slowly at the air. Maddie couldn't help but giggle at the furry animal's actions. Her hands lying idly in her lap, she began to run her right hand along the fingerless gauntlet encasing her left forearm. The armor, comprised primarily of a metal with orange tinting, was emblazoned with red and yellow highlights. On the back of the palm was Maddie's particularly favorite design, the one which her fingers were presently tracing – a ball of flame, exquisitely detailed and colored with fiery yellows, oranges, and reds. A small ruby, imbued at the epicenter of the flame, completed the depiction. Maddie's amber eyes watched the light from the sun dance across the gauntlet's raised fireball, marveling at how the rays were refracted through the red jewel.

"Is that really so mesmerizing to watch?" Maddie's head surged up, looking at Houndramon with slight surprise. Her body then relaxed, laughing as she leaned back against the nearest tree. The deep crimson shirt adorning her body scrunched up along her back because the bark caught on the cloth. Maddie, however, paid it little mind. Brushing the dirt from the underside of her jeans, she brought her knees up to rest her arms on. Her chin then fell to her forearms.

"I'm just getting anxious," she said simply. "We've got a lot to do and I just don't feel prepared." Then, after another moment's passing, she added, "How long do you think Filmaramon and Ryan have been gone for now?" Houndramon grunted, stating that he didn't know. Maddie sighed. "I don't like being away from either of them for too long. The sooner they're back, the sooner I can stop worrying about their safety. Ivan's pretty self-sufficient around here, but Ryan," Her voice faded as she became increasingly more concerned. Everybody seemed to be taking far too long to get back for her liking.

The ground shook with a distant thud shortly after Maddie's voice dissipated. Her head rose, looking around expectantly. The ground shook again with a similar noise. Houndramon had rolled to his feet, eyes narrow and darting. Another impact hit the ground, closer now; another tremor. Maddie, too, was now on her feet. The snapping of twigs and crunching of underbrush became audible with the nearing force that was shaking the ground. Houndramon's eyes were the first to catch the creator of the disturbance. At the sight of the hulking figure, his body relaxed.

"You big oaf," Houndramon said with a smirk, padding around in a slow circle on the earth. Maddie's brow furrowed, looking at Houndramon in confusion. Then, with a final clamorous step, the source of the disruption came into view. Maddie's body relaxed as she saw the being. "It took ya long enough, Osakamon," Houndramon continued, "We were starting to worry."

"Well, I had a few errands to run on the way over here," Osakamon, a massive bear with dark brown fur, highlighted on its muzzle with a tinge of purple, stood on his hind legs. In each of his forepaws was an object – in his left he held a small animal that resembled a marsupial and in his right he held a child, appearing no older than four. "I found these two some distance out," Osakamon told Maddie and Houndramon. "They seemed more than a bit lost, so I offered to give them a hand getting back to the group." Osakamon hadn't gotten halfway through his sentence before Maddie had rushed forwards and snatched the toddler from his right paw. Osakamon paid it little mind, tossing the marsupial to the ground and placing his forepaws on the ground.

"Mama!" the child squealed as it noticed Maddie's face above. His small arms worked their way tightly around the girl's body. Maddie squeezed the child back with equal force.

"Don't go getting lost on me like that," She whispered in the boy's ear, "I'm gonna have a heart attack if you disappear for that long again." She then turned around, looking at the other animal that had come with Osakamon – the marsupial creature. "What were you thinking going so far away?" Maddie half-yelled at the animal. The small figure sulked down, knowing her mistake. "Next time I ask you to keep an eye on Ryan, don't think it means go get lost in the woods. There's plenty of places to show him right next to here; you needn't go running half a mile." Maddie sighed, pressing her head against Ryan's. "At least you're both safe," she finished, "Thanks, Osakamon."

"Always happy to help," the beast answered, stretching its hind legs out. "Just be glad Filmaramon is so keen on finding friends. If she hadn't been that bright, I never would've found the two of them." Houndramon looked up at the bear beside him quizzically.

"What'd she do?" The canine digimon asked. The marsupial, in explanation of herself, suddenly became a shimmering white mass with no distinguishable features. Its outline became amorphous, and then came back into the shape of a lamp. The white overlay faded, leaving a large silver-colored lamp with a tremendous light bulb in its place. Turning herself on, a potent beam of light leapt upwards in the direction that the cone-shaped top was pointed. "She's a clever one," Houndramon said, more to Maddie than anyone. "She may have little for directional sense, but she has her ways."

After her demonstration, Filmaramon again became a glowing white blob. Her figure took on the shape of a bird. Returning to view, a blue bird with radiant, rainbow colors streaming through her tail feathers jumped into the air and flew onto Maddie's free shoulder. The girl couldn't help but smile as Ryan looked up from Maddie's chest to the bird.

"Biwdie!" The child said excitedly. A small hand reached out for the small bird. Maddie sighed, a smile on her face.

"You're such a suck-up, Filmaramon," Maddie told the bird with a sideways glance. Filmaramon chirped. The girl shook her head, and then looked over at her other companions. "Now that we've got these three here," She said to Houndramon, "We just need all the other people and Lyrmon to get here." Then, turning her attentions to Osakamon, she continued, "It's been quite some time since I've seen you, buddy. How have things been going while we were away?" Osakamon turned to face the girl then sat down on his haunches. The ground trembled under the beast's weight.

"They've been pretty slow, if I do say so myself," the giant bear, his head presently level with Maddie's in his sitting position, stated. "It took us far, far too long to break into the intelligence circuits at the nearest factory. On top of that, there's almost no rest to be had from all of the lame drones and robots that keep attacking us while we're working. With all the moving we had to do in order to keep from being overwhelmed by a larger enemy army, it was a slow and tedious process to get any really valuable information out of any of the four complexes.

"On the bright side," He continued, "We were finally successful at cracking into the east factory, the one we're closest to now, just a few days ago. We got attacked during the process, which was particularly unpleasant since Hakin was tied up with his hacking equipment and couldn't stop the transfer or leave his post. Lyrmon really shone in that fight. Anyways, we got out of there quickly afterwards and Hakin has spent the days since analyzing all of the data he collected on the mainframe's structure."

"What do we know now?" Maddie furthered as she shifted Ryan's weight from one arm to the other. Filmaramon was now poking softly at Ryan's fingers whenever his hand got too close to her beak.

"I think Hakin will be able to explain our plans better than anyone," Osakamon said. "He's the one with all the brains for tactics, not me." Maddie giggled.

"Maybe that's why he and Ivan are taking so long," the human girl said in a hushed voice, "They're getting into arguments over how best to go about the siege." The digimon looked back at Maddie with an expression not of amusement, as she had hoped, but of wide-eyed astonishment. Maddie blinked, wondering what she had said that might offend the creatures.

But, before she could speak, a voice behind her loudly stated, "I resent that!" Maddie jumped, whirling around to find a pair of familiar faces grinning at her. Her wide eyes stared. Ryan blinked, and then followed his adoptive mother's eyes.

"Hey, daddy," Ryan said cheerily. He outstretched a hand to the taller figure, who smiled and took the small child from Maddie's arms.

"Hey there, big guy," Ivan rejoined, spinning around on his heel. "How's mommy been treating you?"

Ryan laughed as he swung through the air, but managed to get out a faint, "Good," to the brown-haired boy holding him.

"I'm glad to hear that," Ivan said, more to Maddie than to the toddler. Maddie was now in the process of regaining her composure. She looked up from the ground, glaring at Ivan.

"Don't you dare do that again," she told Ivan harshly. Ivan simply continued to smile at her. He adjusted Ryan's body to be held with his right arm then placed his left arm gently around Maddie. She reluctantly let the boy hug her with his free arm.

"If you'd seen the look on your face, you would've been amused, too," Ivan said slyly into Maddie's ear. Maddie sighed, her hand balled into a fist landing weakly on the boy's chest. The boy pressed his cheek against hers gently.

"I'll get you back soon enough," Maddie responded in a mirroring tone. Ivan smirked. He leaned back and kissed the girl's forehead.

"I'll be looking forward to it, then," Ivan told her with feigned seriousness. Maddie rolled her eyes, a subtle grin still present on her lips.

Hakin, meanwhile, had shaken his head at the couple and walked over to check in with his companion, Osakamon. Sitting down with crossed legs, he looked up at the great bestial animal before him. "Any word from the other two?" He asked the bear with a calm, serene voice. Osakamon's head shook in the negative. Hakin bit his lower lip slightly. "Do you suppose that she and Lyrmon were able to get everything in place?" Osakamon shrugged, again providing no helpful response. Then again, Hakin supposed there wasn't much else he could suspect. "Did you find anything on your patrol of the area?"

"Not much, no," Osakamon replied. "I found Filmaramon and that child some distance out, but otherwise there haven't been any disturbances. The area has been evacuated, however; the message of the impending siege has sent what few digimon still resided here despite the danger of the factory further from the site. We shouldn't have any worries about hostages or the like."

"A little good news," Hakin agreed. He then noticed that TK and Kari had come into the clearing. He waved to the couple, as did Ivan and Maddie. "These two are friends of Ivan and Maddie," Hakin whispered to the bear digimon. "They're friends and, apparently, willing to come with us into the combat field. TK and Kari."

"They're two of the destined children," Osakamon said at the mention of their names. Hakin nodded.

"They can't fight in physical combat as well as us dragoons," Hakin informed his companion, "But TK is apparently learning to fight some, while Kari seems to have her own gifts. They're also key components in the amplification of your powers. Their bond to digimon as Digidestined is legendary. I daresay they may even manage to make a digimon that they aren't directly linked to digivolve." Osakamon blinked.

"You think they might be able to get me to do that shape-shifting thing, too?" Osakamon said, intrigued. Hakin nodded. "I wonder what I'd become," The bear went on, glancing at his forepaws. It was difficult for his mind to grasp the concept of having hands different from the two massive, clawed paws that he presently possessed. The nearly black pads of his palms, now so thoroughly roughened from their extensive usage, were something he had come to expect to see each time he lifted his paws from the earth. "Do you think I'd change really drastically?" He asked of his ally, Hakin. The man only laughed.

"It's nothing to fret over, Osakamon," Hakin replied. "You would revert back to your normal self soon enough. Though it's a very strange realm, that of digivolving, it's a process that always seemed to help the Digidestined."

"That's true, I suppose," Osakamon receded. "Though weird, it's saved their necks more than once." The bear lurched forwards, placing his four feet on the ground once more. "I think it's about time we headed out to find our last two companions." Hakin nodded, standing up and facing the rest of the group. He waved his hands, as to get the rest of the party's attention, but had no success. He looked to the bear beside him. The two exchanged a grin before looking back to the others.

"So I was running-" TK was suddenly cut off by a strong vibration surging through the ground. Looking around wildly for the source, he made eye contact first with a large bear, coated in brown fur with a deep purple tinting his muzzle like war paint, and then with Hakin. The others looked over in equal shock at the great digimon and his partner.

"That works," Hakin said with slight surprise at the response. "Now then," he went on, "I think that, since we've all gotten reunited here, we oughtta get moving forwards." The rest of the group nodded, except for Ivan. He cocked his head to the side, staring at Hakin.

"What about Sera?" Ivan asked. He handed Ryan back off to Maddie, who eagerly reached out to play with Filmaramon on Maddie's shoulder once again.

"We're gonna go meet up with her," Hakin answered him. TK and Kari looked at Maddie questioningly. She explained to them in a whisper that the four dragoons were Ivan, Hakin, Sera, and herself.

"Where did she get a name like Sera?" TK whispered back curiously.

"It's the nickname that she's adopted, just like Hakin," she told him. "Sera's really named Susan, and Hakin's really named Hank. They didn't really like their names, or the people who granted them the identities, and therefore prefer to go by these names. Hakin alone has a tendency to call Sera by her real name, though I'm not sure why." Placing her attention back towards the matter at hand, Maddie noticed that Hakin's suggestion was indeed being followed. With Osakamon walking in front of the group, crushing down any unkind underbrush under his weight, Ivan, Houndramon and Hakin were heading off down the path.

"Well, let's get going," Maddie said to the two Digidestined beside her. With a nod, they fell in line behind the other dragoons and their digimon companions. The group, presently with eight members, trekked off into the dense jungle-like atmosphere, heading in a new direction, away from the setting sun.

With the light of the sun dissipating, a lone figure began to move closer to the traveling party of humans and digimon. It had been following the group for perhaps two hours, now, as were its orders when commissioned. With a glance, the body sought its allies. Three or four of its compatriots were within visual range, it realized. Through silent communication, the first frame issued instructions to its allies who, in turn, relayed the commands to the others. This method of communication, by their standards, was simple. It took no more than a minute for the leader's plans to be accurately transmitted to each of its subordinates.

The final thing that the figure desired was a distraction of some sort. A single cue, taking only an instant, would give the command to proceed to all twelve of its assistants. The more direct approach was something the being wished to avoid, however. They had not been shadowing these creatures for no reason at all. Their mission was crucial, as their superiors had repeated time and again. They could not fail, and any possible advantage needed to be taken in their task.

A bright light, red in color, began to emanate from one of the targets. The figure checked quickly to make sure that they had not been discovered. The red light was, in turn, replaced with a white glow. The figure could not discern if this was a signal or some other beacon. Strangely enough, the light dissipated just as quickly as it had come. A short scream came from the group, as well. With little patience left, the leader gave the command cue to his fellow warriors.

On all sides of the party, a total of thirteen long, silver-colored swords were brought to the ready. Each sword then vanished, along with its owner, as the ambushers, robotic in nature, engaged their cloaking fields and closed in through the dense forest on their unsuspecting prey.

"You're sure you know where you're going?" Ivan asked with a joking undertone. The sun's disappearance from the sky above them had sparked the question. Osakamon growled in response, stomping further ahead through the undergrowth. Ivan turned his head to look at the digimon's companion, who shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.

"He's stubborn," Hakin said in weak explanation of the situation. "He has a good memory, though. It may take a while, but he always seems to get to where he needs to go." The bear snorted, tossing his head to the side.

"You're all such trusting friends, aren't you?" Osakamon muttered sarcastically, "I'd have more acceptance in a bee hive." Kari giggled at the remark. "I know where we're going, relax," The bestial digimon continued, "Did you really expect our target to be so close to the gate we brought you here through?" Ivan realized Osakamon's point. He resigned his query.

"It is getting dark, though," Houndramon pointed out needlessly. Then, with a slight bit more importance, "Perhaps our friendly little mage can give us some illumination?" Maddie rolled her eyes at her latest nickname from the dog-like digimon.

"I doubt it'd help your dim mind," Maddie fired back with a smile. Houndramon growled lowly, to Maddie's further amusement. She then arced her left arm high above her head, her palm open. With a whispered word, the gauntlet clasped to her wrist began to glow faintly red. The glow's strength grew gradually until, after about thirty seconds, the red light cast down on everyone in the troupe. Ryan, presently asleep in Maddie's right arm, stirred under the light. Then, with a flash, the energy surged into a point just above Maddie's upheld palm. The result left a small sphere, glowing now with a strong white light, levitating roughly an inch from the girl's hand. Keeping eye contact with the orb, she let her left arm fall slowly to her side; the ball continued to float in the air. A few seconds' more focus brought the sphere to hang at a point a few feet above the party, traveling at their pace, casting down a paling white light against the rows of trees that crowded against the group's chosen path.

"Pleased?" Maddie asked. Her eyes kept the orb in sight as she slowly brought her focus back to keeping pace with her friends. Houndramon barked his reply in the affirmative. Osakamon, however, began to object.

"Do you humans really need that big beacon of light to see where you're going?" Osakamon questioned, unease evident in his voice. "We're a big enough target for an ambush as we are. We don't need an added advertisement to the drones that we're here."

"That's a good point," Maddie replied. She raised her hand to douse her orb's light, only to scream and jump to the side. A large branch lay where she had stood a moment ago. TK and Kari, too, had been forced to move into the trees lining the path to avoid injury. When Maddie's focus broke, the ball of light fell to the ground and shattered into non-existence. Gloom swept back over the party. The front half of the group, having turned at Maddie's cry, was halted. However, the rustling of ground shrubs persevered. The noise echoed through the closely placed trees, only further amplifying the effect. The digimon looked back and forth warily into the darkness surrounding the group. The sound of snapping twigs became increasingly more audible.

"Ambush, anyone?" Hakin asked with grim sarcasm. His axe was thrown from its holster on his back to his grip with a long-practiced acrobatic maneuver. A quick scrape of metal signaled Ivan's sword coming from its sheathe on his hip to his left hand. Though unseen, He and Hakin took up defensive stances back-to-back. A tacit joke ran between the two, knowing that this was certainly not their first time fighting thusly. They tensed slightly as each new sound resonated from the invisible enemies in the woods around them.

Their digimon counterparts, though not equipped with human weaponry of any sort, took up similar positions a few feet further down the path. Houndramon's throat vibrated with a low growl of anticipation. Osakamon reared up on his hindquarters before thrusting his massive weight back down. A shockwave surged through the ground. Filmaramon switched quickly from her present form as a bird into, again, a marsupial creature vaguely resembling a koala with a turtle's shell on her back. She took Ryan carefully in her pouch before swinging onto Maddie's back. Maddie herself tightened her gauntlet around her forearm while she stepped next to Ivan.

TK, meanwhile, looked around in the darkness desperately, hoping that this time he could at least be armed against an attacker. He wasn't very learned in combat, but had swung around a staff enough in the past to know how to fight somewhat. His mind then remembered the branch. He had only seen it for a moment, but he guessed it was his best shot at something he could wield. As the sensation of danger approaching ever closer sent a shiver down his spine, the blond-haired boy scoured the ground in the moonlight until his hands touched a wooden object roughly where Maddie had once been standing. He brought the object to the ready and stood, making sure that Kari was still beside him. As he whispered a scant few words of comfort to the girl, he came to the realization that the branch he had found was surprisingly light and balanced. He also found that it was smooth.

His mind, however, didn't have time to process this thought, as a sharp force from seemingly nowhere forced the end of the branch extending beyond TK's right hand downwards. TK's eyes grew wide. He whirled backwards, his imitate weapon spinning and connecting with something in the space just before him. Kari jumped back, standing against the nearest tree as she watched TK's weapon again get knocked to the ground. She also noticed that TK wasn't the only one being attacked.

"Cowards," Hakin muttered as he felt a strong pressure contact against his axe blade. He let his axe be pushed slowly downwards until, about halfway on its journey, he snapped it back. A sudden hole appeared where his axe should have hit. Hakin swung his axe horizontally. It collided with a mighty clash of metal upon metal. A robotic humanoid figure, back bent and hands outstretched towards the ground beside Hakin flickered into view. It then slid forward onto the ground. Its cleft head rolled off to the left. Hakin smirked, bringing his axe back to the ready. "Fight like men, you bastards!" He shouted.

"Seems that they listened," Ivan said a few seconds later as he saw two similar looking mechanical people in front of him, bladed weapons in hand, with a tree between them. After a moment's standoff, Ivan feinted a charge to the robot on the left. The robot readied and swung a counter with its large sword. Ivan, in turn, changed his direction and checked the figure on his right. The first attack of the enemy left his sword embedded in the tree. The drone made a noise, possibly in frustration, and tried to wrench its blade free of the wood.

The right-hand robot was forced to take a step back from the sudden collision. Ivan sent the resulting momentum spinning out and striking with his left elbow. His opponent recoiled again, its head lolling to the right from the impact. Ivan's sword lashed out next, taking advantage of the created space between Ivan and the metallic human. A large gash appeared across the sentinel's face. With another spin, Ivan forced his blade deep into the robot's flank. Ivan's right foot kicked the machine from his weapon and knocked his adversary to the ground. It did not rise.

Ivan turned only just in time to see a steel fist flailing towards his face. Unfortunately for him, seeing the fist did not prevent it from connecting and subsequently sending the boy sprawling to the ground. His sword was knocked from his grip in the process. Another tree stopped Ivan's movement. Ivan, on his back, saw that the other drone had abandoned trying to retrieve its weapon. It had, instead, opted to continue fighting with its mechanical body that was, in effect, rather powerful. Ivan's throbbing jaw gave evidence to such. It rushed the distance between Ivan and itself, preparing a second attack.

"Being able to see him doesn't help much," TK said unpleasantly as he maneuvered his weapon back and forth. Each movement halted another possibly fatal swing from the robot attacking him. It was all TK could to keep the drone, far more powerful than he remembered them to be, from taking his life. He guessed that in their home world, the machines had more power. "I could probably use some sleep, too," TK thought to himself. He had only gotten a few uneasy hours of rest the night before. It was hardly enough to fight on. Unfortunately, TK didn't seem to have much of a choice. He continued to parry attacks from his pressing opponent's sword, trying to come up with an effective counter-attack.

"Two down, three to go," Houndramon pointed out to Osakamon, to which the bear nodded simply. Underneath each animalistic digimon laid an immobile mechanical humanoid, while three more stood several yards in front of them. "Right, left, right, center," Houndramon then whispered. Osakamon grinned, baring his great jaws. With a roar, he charged forward at the right-most machine. Each of the drones raised their swords, preparing to strike down the digimon. Houndramon used his companion's attention-drawing ability to dash to the left side, past the robots. He whirled around and darted forwards again.

As the distance between the drones and Osakamon dissipated rapidly, the ground shook with the bear's mighty force. The center drone jumped forwards, hoping to hit at the bear's flank while it was distracted with the right-hand drone. It's weapon raised, it swung down just as the animal came into range. However, the vision of the machine was suddenly and violently disrupted as an unknown force sent it soaring forwards into a tree. The left-hand drone, seeing the second creature once again, swung out at him. Houndramon dove from where he had slammed the central drone to avoid losing his shoulder.

Osakamon's bite, meanwhile, had connected soundly with the right-hand drone. The machine had countered with a somewhat effective thrust into the bear's shoulder, but he didn't seem to notice. Throwing His head about, Osakamon sent the metal humanoid hurtling through the air, only to hit a series of trees as it ricocheted to the ground. The drone's sword was pulled with the rest of the robot into the air, worsening the wound in the digimon's shoulder. Osakamon's eyes narrowed as the pain suddenly became clear and his brown fur matted with the blood coming from his wound.

Houndramon and his adversary circled each other, eyes locked and nerves set. Houndramon's hind leg had certainly seen better days, but his vivacity was still present. He growled loudly, waiting for his plan to come to completion. Then, just when he was beginning to doubt, the drone suddenly jolted to the side from an unseen force. Houndramon barked with satisfaction, charging after his offset opponent. Using the side of his body, Houndramon checked the drone backwards and further off balance. Osakamon then reared up and dropped his forepaws on the machine's head. A squealing of crunched metal rang out as the robot's flank compounded in upon itself under the weight. Osakamon then dropped back to four feet and bit at his enemy's head. With a resounding snap, the head was effectively dislodged from the body of the drone. It collapsed to the forest floor a moment later.

"That can't be good for your jaw," Houndramon said uncertainly as the pair limped back towards the rest of their friends. Osakamon merely grunted in response. The drone that had been standing in the central position of the three was lying in the bear's path, slowly straining to regain its footing. A series of crunching noises left the bestial digimon grinning – he enjoyed trampling his opponents.

"Is this really all they've got?" Hakin asked haughtily as his weapon made contact with a third drone. The screech of metal on metal pierced through his body, but he remained unshaken. He had learned to accept that sound as a necessary element of deactivating his opponents. Crude though it was, his technique had yet to fail him. He looked around in the shadowy forest before him to pick out any further opposition, but found none. "Don't tell me they've given up already," he said, almost in complaint. Having relaxed his grip some, Hakin was caught off-guard when a new force crashed into the blade of his weapon. Hakin grunted, forced backwards as his axe dropped to the ground.

Looking up, Hakin found himself staring at two rather unpleasant-looking sword points. "Oh," He said simply, regaining his posture. "You wanna play that way?" The drones, apparently, had no problem with the proposal. They both charged forwards at the brown-haired man. Hakin stood still, simply smiling as his foes closed in quickly before him. Then, as the robots brought their arms out to swing at Hakin, he ducked sharply. The blades missed their intended target, instead slashing through nothing but air. Hakin then sprang forwards from his position, tackling out the legs of the left-hand adversary. The machine found itself uplifted from the earth and tossed back, his weapon clanging against his ally in the process.

Ivan couldn't help but laugh at his one remaining attacker. His foot had come up to strike, but it had never found its mark. Using the same barrier spell that had halted Hakin's hand earlier that afternoon, the drone had found its appendage caught in a form of stasis. Unable to move with its one remaining foot, there was little he could do to get at Ivan. Ivan, meanwhile, could not move – the drone's leg had come close enough to effectively pin him to the ground, thanks to the trees hemming him in on the other side. He was not alone, though. His laughter was renewed as a grinning face appeared in Ivan's peripheral vision, some distance behind the drone.

"Just hold tight," Maddie said to the brown-haired boy on the ground. Her gauntlet was pulsing with an effervescent crimson light. The machine heard the voice behind itself and craned its neck around to investigate. Maddie smiled back at the emotionless mask that the metal humanoid was built with. She then raised her hand. "You're not getting cold, are you?" She asked cheerily, stepping forwards. "You are? Oh, then let me give you a hand."

With that, Maddie darted forwards. Winding back, she shot her hand into the back of the drone's torso with intense momentum. Her fist cleared directly through the heavy plating and circuitry of the machine's core. The gaping wound was subsequently cauterized by her strike. Maddie smirked as she withdrew her hand. Then, with a spiraling back-fist, she knocked the robot a few feet to her left where it lay, motionless. She shook her left hand as the light dimmed from her gauntlet.

"Not too shabby," Ivan said with raised eyebrows. Maddie giggled, offering her right hand to help Ivan back to his feet. "This one isn't burning hot, is it?" the boy continued. Maddie glared at him as he took her hand and leapt to his feet. He swiped his sword from where it had landed, glinting in the dim moonlight, before walking back to Maddie's side, grinning.

"Don't make me shove you back down," She said with mock-seriousness. Ivan gulped, looking with unbelieving eyes at the girl beside him. A sly grin was all she gave Ivan for explanation.

TK's arms were thoroughly fatigued. It seemed as though there was no end to his adversary's onslaught. Unbeknownst to him, it was the leader of the drone strike force that had attacked from the back of the target party and therefore engaged the blond-haired boy. He was, indeed, far more powerful than the others he commanded, whereas TK was certainly not the most able-bodied fighter from his side. Doing his best to keep from losing ground, TK found his feet burrowing into the ground under the force of the blows he was withstanding. How this branch kept from shattering TK didn't know, but he didn't dare question this stroke of luck. Rather, his mind had suddenly hit upon a plausible counter-attack. His overconfident enemy was, after all, going in a somewhat repetitious pattern of swings that TK had figured out: a swing to his left, a second strike to his left, three feints to his right, a decisive down-strike, and a final sharp thrust forwards.

TK blocked off the first two swings to his left, having grown used to the movement. His arms gave more than they had last time, he noted. The right-side swings he hardly acknowledged, knowing they were intended only to throw him off. Then, as the down-strike came again, TK met the blade with the full side of his branch, rather than glancing the weapon to the side. Taking advantage of the recoil that the impact incurred, TK kicked the machine squarely in the torso. It took a few steps back, surprised to actually have its opponent fight back. Then, though its pattern wasn't necessarily being followed, the robot thrust forward viciously. TK shoved the blade aside with his staff held perpendicular to the ground. He took the momentum of the block and spun around until his back was against the drone's back.

The drone commander, while attempting to process why its enemy wasn't presently skewered, felt a sharp force push him forwards. TK followed his reverse jab with a second backwards thrust and, turning around to face his enemy's back, a third, arcing drop strike. The drone was tossed roughly to the underbrush. TK took his staff in both hands and swung the blunt object down with all the force he could muster on the robot's back. It surged lightly at the final move's impact, and then lay immobile. TK stumbled backwards with harried breath, forcing his staff into the ground as a support. Maddie, too, jumped to TK's aid, throwing one of his arms around her shoulders. He smiled weakly at the girl, trying to hide his fatigue and scrapes he had earned from the drone's weapon.

Kari needed no words to know what needed to be done. She kissed TK's cheek gently. Her footsteps then guided them both back to their friends, who were presently watching Hakin brawl with the final mobile robotic enemy. The digimon, aside from Filmaramon, were lying on the ground and doing what they could to nurse their wounds. Ivan had his sword ready, should Hakin come into any real danger. Maddie, back pressed against Ivan's, was presently rocking her adopted son gently; Filmaramon was now in the form of a blanket around Ryan. Looking over at Hakin, the two Digidestined watched the melee dwindle down with the final, explosive fight.

"You're really damn lucky you've got all this metal," Hakin said with a grunt as he grabbed the drone's weapon-wielding arm again. Swinging around beneath the appendage, Hakin brought himself behind the robot and, with a burst of effort, forced the arm against his foe's back. Pinning the arm there with one hand, he reached for the machine's free shoulder to restrain it, but missed. The drone, in turn, spun out of Hakin's hold and threw its arm up violently. Hakin was consequently hurled backwards. The back of his head collided with a nearby tree with a deadening thud. The young man groaned as he slid to the ground. He had time only to see his enemy bearing down on him, with a sword in hand, before his vision faded out.

"Hakin!" Ivan shouted, rushing forwards. TK's eyes grew large as he watched the scene fearfully. The drone was too close to Hakin for Ivan to effectively stop it. The machine's blade reeled back, and then darted forwards in an unguarded, open thrust. Such would have been folly had his opponent not been knocked unconscious. Unfortunately for Hakin, he had been knocked out and the drone took full advantage of the tilt in power. Even Ivan's charge was not fast enough.

There was a snap in the shadows above Hakin's head. Though unnoticed, the sound of metal imbedding in dirt resounded underneath the clamor of rushing feet and shouting.

The long blade connected with a sudden jolt, reverberating through the machine. Taking a step back, the drone looked at where Hakin had been hunched against a tree. However, only darkness greeted its sight. Ivan skidded to a halt, looking with equal confusion at the impossibly dark shroud that was now in place of where Hakin had been. Had there been more light, Ivan may have noticed the object and found it familiar. But, as he was, Ivan could only stare in wonder. All of the other onlookers, too, watched with mixed confusion and apprehension.

"He never does learn when to back down," A voice said, emanating from somewhere above. Everyone instinctively looked towards the source of the voice, only to hear a sudden rush of wind. A large black mass dropped rapidly from the trees onto the drone. With the mass came a roar of a mountain lion. A hideous, metallic crunching sound followed. A second black mass slipped down the side of the tree against which Hakin had fallen. The darkness that had seemingly surrounded Hakin lifted up, revealing the brown-haired young man in the same state he had been after his initial collision with the tree. In addition, there was now an almost invisible, shrouded figure beside him.

"Sorry we didn't drop in sooner," The figure said. The first black mass, having effectively defeated the last standing drone, made a low purring noise and padded next to Hakin and the second silhouette. "It was really quite a thing to watch from up there, and almost all of you seemed to have your situations under control."

The rest of the party, aside from TK and Kari, had since relaxed. The expressions of the latter two simply drifted into confusion. Ivan was the first to speak, being closest to the pair of ebony forms. "I was starting to get worried about you two," He said with a sigh of relief. "I thought Osakamon had us on a wild goose chase through this forest." The bear growled indignantly. With the aid of the black-swathed creatures, Ivan brought Hakin back to the rest of the group. "How has everything been going for you?"

"It's all fine," one of the figures, walking on four limbs, replied. "Sera's been a little panicked, but we've been making out alright. Everything is in place." The name Sera clicked in TK's mind. Suddenly, everything began to make sense once again. Sera and Lyrmon, he supposed was the four-footed creature, had come quite skillfully to their aid. Though he could make out little with the combined effects of the nearly inexistent lighting and the dark visages of the pair, he figured that Lyrmon was probably female, as her companion was, and was likely feline in build. Its cry, at the least, had reminded TK of the wild cats of the Zoo.

As all of the entourage's members regrouped where they had first been attacked, Maddie reached for her belt. "Let's see what we can do for Hakin," she said as she pulled a small red pouch off of her belt loop and began rummaging through it.

"Save it for later," Sera instructed, her tone serious and swift. Maddie blinked, looking up at the black-robed girl. Her eyes then drifted to the man she was helping to support. Sera was rather strong, TK noticed, as she held the unconscious boy with seemingly little effort.

"Why can't we-" Sera raised a hand to halt Maddie's retort.

"There's no time," Sera insisted. She turned to the great bear-like digimon. "Mind carrying him?" She asked quickly. Osakamon nodded dumbly, surprised by Sera's sudden forcefulness and drive. She nodded to the bear before lying Hakin across Osakamon's back. "Keep him safe," Sera instructed. She then looked towards the sky, her eyes focusing on the moon. Though partially covered by the foliage, she made out the location and judged their direction of travel accordingly.

"It shouldn't be too long of a walk," Sera assured her companions, "Osakamon did get you quite close to the site whether you believe him or not."

"See?" Osakamon said with another growl in Ivan's direction. The brown-haired boy laughed nervously and shrugged his shoulders. With a shake of his head, the bear continued muttering about his ill treatment as a guide.

Ignoring the beast's mumbling, sera gestured for everyone else in the group to follow her. "We don't have much time," She repeated, "We need to hit camp soon if we want to get any rest tonight. And I'm sure that, after this little skirmish, you could all use some rest before the main event." Sera's comment was met with a chorus of nods. Without any further explanation, she moved quickly in the direction she had already determined. The rest of the group fell in line behind her, TK making a particular notion to get up further in the procession.

"Hey, Sera?" TK asked when he got closer to the girl. A subtle shift in the fabric he could see told him that he had gotten her attention. Though he didn't really know how to phrase his question, he was strangely eager to know more about the mysterious person that had somehow saved. "Hey, I was, um, just wanting to-"

"Save the pleasantries," Sera cut TK off dryly. "I need to make sure we're going in the right direction."

"Why couldn't we just rest here?" TK asked, somewhat irritated with being so thoroughly ignored and rebuked. He had only meant to be friendly, yet met a quite ruthless and, in his eyes, unprovoked response.

"What we need isn't in place here," Lyrmon said in a calm, pleasant tone. "We need to get back to the camp that Sera and I set up a few hours ago."

"Why?" TK asked, now more out of curiosity rather than indignation. Lyrmon was, in TK's opinion, far more accommodating and therefore worth his attention and kindness. However, the digimon proved to be no less enigmatic with her response.

She told him, "Boxes."


	2. Fields of Innocence

The Ivani Chronicles : Book 3 – Rancor : Chapter 2 – Fields of Innocence

"Boxes?" TK echoed, blatantly confused. "What are we going to do with boxes?"

"We aren't going to do anything with them," Sera said impatiently. Her pace redoubled, snapping stray branches from the trees around her as she went. TK found himself, as well as the rest of the company, jobbing to keep up with their guide. Lyrmon glanced at Sera, checking to see if the human girl wished to elaborate. Sera was quite clearly uninterested. The feline digimon shrugged her shoulders, her padding feet ever synchronized with Sera's gait.

TK, after providing a polite time for Sera to expand on her explanation, decided it was best to not pry further. This enigmatic girl was thoroughly set on her task at hand, it appeared. She could not, or would not, spare any attention for the blond-haired boy. TK's shoulders drooped as he fell back from the lead. Houndramon rather comfortably took up the spot, opening a new discussion with the black cat-like digimon. TK found himself beside Ivan a moment later.

"What's up with her?" TK asked, his tone exasperated. He jerked a thumb in the direction of their leader. He didn't mean to come off so angry, but Sera's out-right disregard for him left the latter displeased.

Ivan smiled, concealing a laugh as to not further offend the boy. He was more presently aware of TK's affected judgment from lack of sleep than even TK himself was. He placed a gentle hand on the Digidestined's shoulder. "Sera gets like this from time to time," Ivan explained. "Her experiences from before she was inducted as a Dragoon have left her with a very strong sense of conviction to tasks at hand, along with an almost surreal distaste for guys. It's nothing you should take personally; Hakin and I were both treated like vermin for the whole entire first year." Ivan chuckled at the memory.

"What on earth did she go through?" TK inquired further. Ivan's humor drained rather rapidly from his expression.

"You'll find out sooner or later," Ivan assured him, "But I don't think I'm really the one to tell you. Our pasts are stories that we divulge only when we trust someone enough with it. Hakin, too, has a rather graphic past that he's none too pleased with. It's one of the many things we Dragoons have in common, tragic previous lives. Sera, much as Maddie had trouble overcoming the dementation that Jason evoked in her life, is still struggling to deal with what she's gone through." Ivan paused, his eyes wandering. Then, with a snap, his focus returned. He smiled at TK. "Just give her time," Ivan said, "She'll come around soon enough. Just keep on being the ridiculous guy that you are."

"Hey," TK began to retort. Ivan, however, checked the blond-haired boy lightly with his shoulder. TK stumbled to the side, out of the main procession, and bounced back into line off of a tree. Dazedly, the blond-haired boy looked back at where Ivan had been. Now, however, Kari was walking alongside him. A look of mixed amusement and concern danced through her amber eyes. TK raised an eyebrow at her expression. Kari couldn't help but giggle at the hunched-over figure that was her boyfriend – her amusement had outdone her concern. TK groaned, his eyes rolling lazily upwards and his feet shuffling onwards.

To TK's relief, the walk was concluded quite shortly thereafter. With a roar from Lyrmon, the creature announced their arrival. It looked almost identical to where Maddie and the other digimon had been waiting when Ivan and Hakin first brought TK and Kari into the woods – a widened opening between the trees, roughly circular, with relatively even ground. The only significant difference that TK could attain was the presence of several shadowy boxes lying on the ground. The boy examined the crates curiously. At last, he could see that Lyrmon had been literal in her referral to boxes. Their role in the upcoming activity, however, TK did not grasp.

"How heavy is the gear we've got?" Ivan asked as he knelt down before one of the boxes. Then, as an afterthought, "Maddie, do you think you could give us some light here? Whether or not it makes us a target, we won't be able to clear any space otherwise." Maddie, agreeing with the statement, raised her left arm and brought about another glowing orb of light, which she suspended psychically about ten feet above the ground in the center of the secluded, circular alcove. The shadowy boxes now lost their shadows, appearing as simple brown cardboard boxes with block lettering upon each of them. They seemed oddly familiar to the Digidestined.

Sera, meanwhile, was talking as the other Dragoons began searching through separate boxes. "It's nothing too heavy," Sera explained, "But it's certainly more than what we normally use. I figure that with the extensive amount of time we'll be in continuous danger, our stamina would be well—worn before the big finale in the upper levels if we relied only on our natural defenses." Her gaze then fell upon TK and Kari, who were staring at the three sixteen-year-olds rifling through the crates. "I didn't leave you guys out, either," Sera told the pair over her shoulder. "After all, you would've been in far worse trouble against the drone leader if I hadn't brought you that staff early."

"Huh?" TK blinked, looking down at the branch that, for a reason he couldn't exactly remember, he was still holding. Now that light was finally cast upon it, he realized that he held no ordinary branch. The stick was, in fact, longer than he had initially guessed and comprised of a fine wood, fashioned and polished into a long staff. It was very durable, too, TK realized; the many strikes from the drone's sword had little more than scratched the finished surface. "I didn't notice that before," TK said after studying the object for a moment, feeling inferior and ignorant.

"It was dark," Sera told the boy with a shrug. She pointed to a pair of boxes that were not being meddled with. "If you two want to check for anything else you might want to bring, feel free to look through." Her attention then turned back to her box. TK moved slowly towards his box. Then, as he passed Sera, he realized something peculiar about the way light was reflecting off of her back. Though it was as black as the rest of her clothing, light bent across whatever was on her back brightly with each movement her arms made through the box.

"What is that?" TK asked as he sat down beside his box. Sera looked up a second time, then followed TK's pointing finger to her back. She blinked. TK saw, for the first time, that the girl's eyes were a bright and vibrant green.

"This?" The girl said curiously. As she spoke, the reflective plate was drawn from her back by one of her small hands. Its form no longer concealed within the black back of Sera's clothing, TK found himself staring at a bladed, four-pointed star. From one point across to the opposite point of the crux was probably three-and-a-half feet. "This is one of my weapons," She told him. "It's pretty much a really big shuriken. It does double nicely as a shield, though." TK stared, perplexed. Though reflective, there was clearly a large gap between each of the points. Seeing his vexation, Sera stood up, still grasping the epicenter of the weapon.

Sera flicked her wrist. At the snap, the weapon clicked. With the noise, a series of plates ejected from each of the four main struts. In a mere instant, the weapon's shape changed from the appearance of a cross to that of a diamond, though still laced with a razor-sharp edge. With a second snap, the plates receded back into their seemingly magical storage within the weapon. Sera then returned her huge shuriken to her back, smiling furtively at TK's open-mouthed amazement. A tap from Kari brought the boy back to his senses. Without further questioning, he set his eyes on the box in front of him.

Just as his memory had realized, the boxes were much the same as those Ivan and Maddie had bade him use last April when he and Kari had been rescued from a particularly harsh robotic enemy. Then, TK had been provided with normal clothing to replace his old, ripped garments after the battle. This time, however, TK's current clothes weren't in any terrible disarray. He wondered why he would need the clothing box a second time.

When TK opened the box, his eyes were not met with the same fabrics he remembered. His eyes grew wide. He checked the side label quickly, finding that it was, indeed, his crate, and then looked over at the three conscious Dragoons. "What is all this?" Ivan looked up, slightly surprised. With no other helpful response, TK looked back inside the box. He reached in and pulled out the top-most garment. It was a full shirt of chain mail. TK swallowed, his bulging eyes staring at the intricately corrugated metal hoops. "Is this stuff real?" TK asked.

"No, it's made of sugar," Ivan said evenly. He was presently examining a set of large, metal shoulder plates, designed for a left-handed warrior. "Probably too heavy," the boy muttered as he tossed the plates aside and withdrew a second, smaller set of similarly designed plates. "Probably more fitting," he went on quietly.

TK looked back at his box, thoroughly amazed. He hadn't at all been expecting to be granted armor of this caliber at any point in his life. The equipment he pulled out – a shield, several chain garments, pieces of leather plating, steel helmets, and a small collection of throwing knives – were intimidating enough to hold, let alone wear and expect to be attacked in. His heart was racing again. He looked hurriedly at Kari. She, at least, would be just as shocked by this equipment as he was. At least, he hoped she was.

Kari, meanwhile, scoured through her crate with a smile on her face. TK's jaw dropped. How was it that this girl could look at what seemed to be authentic war equipment from a millennium ago with no trace of surprise, he wondered. After TK's enlarged eyes had stared at her for a while, Kari looked up from her box and met the boy's gaze. "What is it?" She asked calmly.

"What is it?" TK repeated, his astonishment growing. "This is what." He waved the heavy chain link shirt between them. Kari blinked, looking at the armor with an expression that TK had been expecting.

"Where did you get that?" She questioned him, her gaze fixated on the ringed metal clothing.

"It was in the box," TK told her, "Didn't you get any?" Kari shook her head. TK blinked, his head bending to the side. "Then what is in there?" He furthered. Kari shrugged, dredging out a few, by her standards, peculiarly heavy tunics and skirts, and then happened upon a series of small metal plates and a wooden flute with a long, thin, satin cord attached to it.

"A flute?" TK asked, looking somewhat dumbfounded at the instrument. Kari nodded, looking at the brown-colored tube uncertainly.

"I've never played one before," Kari stated, though TK was already aware. It was for this reason that both of the children continued to stare, bewildered, at the flute until Sera looked at the younger girl.

"Ivan's shown you how to use that, right?" Sera asked, seemingly seeking reassurance. Kari blinked, and then shook her head to Sera's question.

"Ivan never brought me an instrument," Kari said slowly. It was clearly not the answer Sera had wanted.

"Ivan!" The girl howled, whirling around to face the brown-haired boy. Ivan was presently trying on shin guard plates for size. He looked up, acknowledging the green-eyed girl. "Why does Kari not know how to play the flute?" She hissed.

"Never thought to mention it," Ivan said with a nonchalant shrug.

"Even with her coming here to help us?" Sera nearly spat, anger and surprise mixing into a horrible concoction in her veins.

"Didn't think they'd be coming back," The boy stated as calmly as a cliché English butler. His half-open eyes were again looking at his leg plating. Sera threw her hands up in utter frustration, grumbling loudly to herself.

"If it's any consolation," Maddie offered, "I never brought it up, either. We really hadn't been thinking that Kari would be coming until TK insisted that they both accompany us." Sera waved her hand dismissively at the other Dragoons.

"Um, why am I supposed to know how to play a flute here?" Kari inquired. Music, she figured, was not a particularly effective weapon against the violent robots that menaced the planet. Sera walked over to the younger girl and knelt beside her.

"This is a very special instrument," the black-garbed girl explained softly in Kari's ear. "It's made from the trees of the forests here, and is therefore imbued with a strong affinity to the nature of the Digital World. As such, you can evoke the very essence of this world and use it for your benefit in whatever manner you deem most effective, if-" Sera then paused to toss a glare in Ivan's direction, "You know how to play it."

Kari was clearly intrigued. She twirled the small rod between her fingers, looking at it with wonder. "What can it do?" she questioned eagerly. Sera shrugged, trying to develop an adequate explanation.

"It's a multi-variant object, as is any musical utensil," she let Kari know. "Just as an instrument in the Real World can make someone feel happy, sad, or energized, so too can this instrument change things. However, more than just an emotional booster, it can invoke the effects of any natural element, such as bringing rain from the sky or growing a plant from the cracks in the sidewalk. For the more vicious user, you can call upon the more deadly forces of nature, such as launching a lightning bolt from your palm, or reverse the effects of life to effectively bring about death." At Kari's suddenly horrified expression, the elder girl quickly added, "Not that you could do any of this without a great deal of time and experience with the thing."

"Can any of you do that?" Kari asked, looking at the assembled group. A solemn shake of heads gave her a somewhat calming answer then, to Sera, "How do you know it can do all of this, then?"

"That's what Izulanmon said it could do," Ivan replied from across the camp. Kari blinked. "He's responsible for all of the equipment in both of your boxes," the guardian continued, "He knows where your natural strengths lie. He only granted us with limited explanations of anything we asked about. We were always fascinated by that flute, but we've never actually seen it used before."

"Which is why I was hoping he would've had you practice some with a normal flute," Sera finished in an irritated tone. She sighed, her head hanging forwards on her shoulders in defeat for a moment. Then, after reconsidering, she resigned, saying to Kari, "But if Izulanmon has granted you with this gift, then I assume you'll be the best candidate to unlock the powers of it."

Though still no more comforted than she had been when she first heard that she was holding a potentially deadly little wooden flute, she nodded in response and placed the instrument delicately around her neck on its lanyard. Hesitantly, she brought the object to her lips and tested the feel of the item in her hands. Strangely enough, it did feel somewhat natural to raise her arms in this fashion. Raising and lowering a few fingers, Kari blew into the mouthpiece. A series of shrill, unconnected and thoroughly unmelodic notes resonated from the device. Kari stopped abruptly, her own ears being rather harshly discomforted by the noise. The looks on her companions' faces told her that they had not liked the impromptu concert any more than she had.

However, Hakin's eyes opened groggily at the blasting of the notes. Stirring on Osakamon's back, the boy groaned lowly as he stretched his shoulders. His senses then recognized the pain on the back of his head and he winced, rolling to the side to get a better angle at soothing the injured skin. He consequently found himself breathless as he fell the few feet from Osakamon to the grass-covered ground with a thud and a second moan of discomfort. "This sucks," He managed to get out.

"We've all been there," Ivan said comfortingly. He was unable to resist smiling, however. Maddie, meanwhile, disbanded her attention to her crate and, after moving Ryan from her lap to Ivan's, went to Hakin's side. No longer hurried, she gave her full attention to treating the boy's wound. From the small red bag attached to her belt, she withdrew a pair of vials and a few strips of gauze. After a while, she called Ivan over to help her move Hakin and to then sit and accept his own treatment for the cuts he had gotten from the drone's punch and the resulting abrasions of the ground on his back and arms.

"It's nothing serious," Ivan protested with downcast eyes. Maddie huffed, shoving the boy's injured arm gently. "Ow," he complained from the pressure on his bruised shoulder, "That hurt."

"It's nothing serious," Maddie mimed sarcastically. Ivan sighed, realizing that resistance would gain him nothing. He looked over at the others in the group, the three humans having since collected the gear they figured they needed and created a loose pile with it. Everyone, that is, exempting TK. TK was still somewhat frightened by the armor of medieval soldiers that laid over the edges of his crate of supplies.

"Not suiting your fancy, TK?" Ivan said with a furrowed brow. TK shrugged sheepishly, glancing at the ringed metal and plated leather. He still could hardly grasp the fact that it was real.

"It just seems like a little much," TK answered quietly. Ivan chuckled, understanding. He had, after all, been a normal person some four years ago.

"It may seem that way," Ivan told him, "And it's easy to be overwhelmed. Just relax; we're wearing armor like that as a safety precaution in case something unpleasant decides we look like viable targets." TK swallowed and nodded.

"You can worry about that in the morning," Sera interjected after throwing a glance at Ivan. "We still have to organize everything before we head out tomorrow." Ivan and Maddie nodded, looking up attentively. Maddie had since placed her medicinal equipment back in her pouch; Ivan and Hakin were both duly bandaged and treated.

"What do we need to organize?" Kari asked, her fingers brushing lightly against the wooden flute about her neck. TK's eyes mirrored the question. Sera took a few steps back, as to address the whole group without having to turn around so often.

"Well, as you are all aware, we are planning to infiltrate and deactivate the active factory that rests roughly half a mile from here," Sera began in explanation. She soon found herself pacing back and forth slowly before her audience. "The security of the installation is far greater than any offensive group that the managers have ever issued. That squad of drones that attacked you not too long ago, for instance, is merely a taste of the main building defenses: stronger drones with reinforced plating, aerial capabilities, and ranged weaponry; Robots with improved maneuverability and weapons systems; Concealed, stationary turrets that are in some cases proximity-activated explosives, and in other situations ranged gun emplacements.

"Also, to our further disadvantage, the enemy has at this point realized our plans," The green-eyed girl continued. "Their interruption of our hacking was a warning. We've worked as quickly as possible to prepare, hence our rush, but there's no telling how effective we will be at beating out reinforcements to the factory. For all we know, our data may be thoroughly outdated already.

"There is good news, however," Sera added with a hint of optimism. "The layouts that we've downloaded and examined give us a detailed floor plan which is, more or less, a map to our targets. For this reason, each of us will be in a separate group."

"Separate group?" Kari interceded cautiously. Sera blinked, realizing that she had forgotten another explanation.

"We're splitting into two groups," Sera informed Kari, as well as the rest of her companions. "Our group is far too big to work effectively in the confines of the foundry, so we'll be dividing into two teams of five. There are two objectives that first must be reached. After that, we'll be heading to a third and final objective point from different directions. At that point, we will effectively rendezvous and complete our task.

"Now, as I was saying, Hakin and I will be separated. I will be taking the group headed for the drone portion, while Hakin will lead the others that are embarking for the robot half. Our respective companions-" she waved a hand in the direction of the digimon, presently sitting behind Maddie and Ivan with eyes on Sera, "Will be with us, as well as three others." Sera paused for a moment, looking over the gathering in front of her. She looked over each of the four humans, her emerald eyes narrow and searching.

TK was staring nervously at Kari, now. He hadn't been aware that they would be divided when they got here. He hoped that they wouldn't be separated; he wanted to be there with her for the duration of the trip. He couldn't feel otherwise; he had been the one to convince her to come here and he wouldn't ever abandon her. Her hand brushed gently against the back of his, and she stole a fleeting glance over her shoulder at the boy. He could tell that Kari, too, had no desire to be sent away from him.

"Ivan," Sera interrupted TK's thoughts abruptly, "You're with me. Maddie, you're with Hakin." The two dragoons nodded. Ivan glanced at the baby lying in his lap, and then looked back at Sera uncertainly. "Maddie can watch Ryan for the trip, since Filmaramon is a bit better at accommodating him than Houndramon." There was a low growl from the digimon, followed by a sharp chirping noise. Maddie giggled, watching Houndramon glare at the bird resting on Osakamon's large head. Sera blinked, bringing her focus back after gazing at the two creatures for a moment.

"Obviously, Houndramon and Filmaramon will go with their companions," TK thought miserably. His chance of being at Kari's side was slowly dissipating in his head. His eyes dropped down to the ground. His shoulders drooped. "It's just my luck, I guess," He muttered to himself.

"Houndramon, you're going with Ivan," Sera continued. "Filmaramon, you're going with Maddie and Ryan. TK-" Sera's voice cut off when she saw the distant and sad expression on the blond-haired boy's face. "Will go with Maddie," Sera finished her sentence slowly. Her eyes moved to Kari, who shared TK's upset expression. Her shoulders stayed straight, but her eyes refused to shimmer as they had before. Sera closed her eyes; the pitiful expressions almost made her change her mind about the assignments. "Kari will be coming with myself and Ivan," she finished, opening her eyes again. "In this manner, there will be as equal a distribution of talents as possible. There will e two dragoons, two digimon, and one Digidestined in each group. Clear?"

Ivan and Maddie nodded, giving little thought to the fact that they were going to be separated from one another. The digimon chorused their agreement in various noises, their motivation being granted by the ability to be together with their human counterparts. TK and Kari, on the other hand, were not pleased. TK nearly ventured to object, but restrained himself. As much as he didn't like the circumstances, his subconscious knew that there were more important things than being able to hug Kari.

Unbeknownst to him, Sera's choice had been largely based on the fact that they were romantically involved and, as such, would be far more apt to work as a partnership, rather than as a whole group. Though allowing the children to be together may have proved to work, Sera didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. She knew better than anyone, save perhaps Hakin, that this was probably the dragoons' only true opportunity to break in and dismantle a machine factory. It was not an opportunity she would allow to pass her by.

"If we've got the groups settled," Ivan ventured after a moment's silence, "What else do we have to cover?"

"Little," Sera let him know. "The specifics of our attack plans aren't worth sharing, especially considering the possibility of a spy. When the time is right, Hakin or I will tell you more. The last important task is the assignment of night watch."

"They tend to help, yeah," Houndramon commented. His body moved in a slow circle, padding the earth beneath his feet. He slumped to the ground a moment later, his jaw widening in a yawn.

"That's why we have them, Houndramon," Sera said as patiently as she could. Then, to the rest of the gathering, "We'll separate the remaining night into two watches. Any volunteers?" A long, drawn-out pause followed Sera's words. The insect life of the forest created a humming undertone in the air.

"Well, I did get to sleep in last night," Kari said hesitantly. Sera nodded, her eyes scanning the rest of the group. After Kari's seeming acceptance, TK took a step forward.

"I could stay-"

"Don't even think about it," Ivan said evenly, cutting the blond-haired boy off. TK faltered, and then looked at Ivan with bewildered eyes. "You couldn't have gotten any more sleep than I did," Ivan went on, "You need to get what little rest you can tonight. The same is true for me, too. Maddie got to bed at a decent hour, though. Have Houndramon serve a term with her and Kari can stay up with you, Sera." Sera took only an instant to contemplate Ivan's proposal before she accepted it.

"That sounds like it will work fine," Sera told Ivan. "Is that alright with you three?" The two other human girls nodded. Houndramon grumbled lowly.

"Why do I always have to be the one to get picked on?" the dog digimon said lowly. "Stupid Ivan not getting sleep and me having to pick up his slack. I should've gotten friendly with Sera and had Lyrmon go with Ivan." By the time Houndramon's inadvertent humor was stayed, the entire assembly was laughing. Lyrmon, moving from Osakamon's side, lay down beside the canine digimon.

Compared side by side, the two creatures seemed to be almost identical. Both were covered in long black hairs, albeit Houndramon's azure highlights, and were of quite similar size. The greatest difference rested in the heads – where Houndramon had a long, drawn out muzzle, Lyrmon's head was more rounded and feline.

"It's not all one-sided, ya know," Lyrmon mentioned quietly as she folded her paws beneath her head. "Sera has her moments, too. Just be glad that Ivan trusts you with tasks this complicated." The cat-like digimon tapped Houndramon's back playfully with her tail. Houndramon cast a sideways glance at the grinning Lyrmon beside him. She dropped her head onto his shoulder abruptly. "I'd be happy to keep you company," she added. "Maybe then you'd feel better?"

"I guess so," Houndramon muttered. However, as stubborn as he felt, he knew that with Lyrmon keeping him company he would have a far more enjoyable time on watch. The creature beside him began to purr contentedly when she felt Houndramon relax. He rolled his eyes. "Girls," he said under his breath. His head then fell to rest atop Lyrmon's. Consequently, he couldn't see the wide smile across the female digimon's face.

Meanwhile, Sera had issued the order that Maddie and herself were to begin watch in ten minutes. In that time, the remainder of the party was to settle down for the passing of the night. Ivan, after a final brief look through his box, set out his full set of equipment for the coming siege. Maddie, too, finished her selection process and moved to adjust the semi-conscious Hakin into a proper position to sleep through the night. "I'll be sure to get you up a little early," she whispered in the warrior's ear. Hakin nodded gratefully before slumping back and falling into unconsciousness once again. Maddie moved to ready herself for bed after checking the boy one last time. Her attention never diverted to Ivan directly.

For his ten minutes, TK had pulled Kari from the rest of the group in order to talk without being overheard easily. It took the pair only a moment to stumble off into the woods a short distance for some relative solitude. Kari looked at the blue eyes of her boyfriend, asking silently what he needed. TK exhaled, the muscles in his shoulders relaxing and drooping down.

"Why did they separate us?" TK asked. Kari felt a sudden stinging sensation in her chest. She could see the displeasure in the boy's eyes, mixed with his helplessness and fear. She reached out and took his hands in her own.

"I'm not sure, TK," Kari admitted reluctantly. "I mean, Sera's explanation seems fair enough, to make both groups equal, but it doesn't make for a very pleasant time once we're inside. I've never done well fighting without you there next to me." TK couldn't help but smile at Kari's last, true point. It was mutual, too, and they were both aware.

"Well, you'll be up with Sera," TK said. "You could ask her if switching us up would work, maybe?" TK's thought lost much of its conviction rather quickly with the pleading look in Kari's eyes. He nodded, resigning his idea.

"I'm sorry, TK," the brown-haired girl said earnestly. Tugging gently on his hands, she made him take a step closer to her. "I don't want to go away from you any more than you do, but I won't argue with Sera. She and Hakin have the plan already in mind. If separating us is the best move they can make, then I'll stand by it."

"Is that why Maddie and Ivan don't seem to care?" TK said. Kari blinked, feeling a pang of jealousy course through the boy before her.

"What do you mean?" Kari asked gently, not wishing to further rile TK. His eyes had narrowed, looking beyond Kari in the direction of the camp.

"Ivan and Maddie are separated, too, right?" TK asked rhetorically. Kari nodded. "They've got a relationship that's possibly even more serious than ours, and they didn't even seem to notice," TK went on. "How can they have such a nonchalant reaction? What do they have that we don't?" Kari smiled faintly, raising a hand from TK's and placing it softly on his chest.

"Nothing," she told TK. The blond-haired boy blinked. "They have nothing more than we do," Kari continued with a confirming shake of her head. TK could feel the warmth of Kari's hand press against his shirt and permeate through the cloth. The heat was very comforting, very relaxing to TK's struggling emotions. He took a calming breath, and then nodded in acceptance of Kari's statement. His free hand wrapped around Kari's, holding it gently against his body while a mirroring smile came to his lips.

"Alright," TK conceded verbally. Then, more curious than accusing, he added, "Why are they so calm about being sent apart, then?" Kari's brow furrowed in thought.

"My guess is that they're more accustomed to it," Kari decided after a moment. "Maybe fulfilling their duties as Dragoons overrides even their innermost desires, because of the bonds they have with the sovereign Digimon. They did take a year off from their jobs already. They probably feel that they owe it to their masters to work without argument for a very long time." After a short pause, Kari got a second idea. "They do have a great deal of trust in Sera, too," she explained. "They probably trust her judgment about group assignments enough to not argue. She's obviously very skilled. She wouldn't assign Ivan or Maddie to separate groups without a reason. Perhaps there's some sort of synergy between the pairs Sera chose."

"She still managed to break our synergy," TK grumbled. Kari giggled, shoving lightly against the boy's chest with her hand. TK grunted and took a step back to keep his balance.

"It'll only be for the day," Kari told the boy, closing the distance between herself and TK. Their bodies met; Kari opted to move her hand from TK's chest to his back, which he mirrored. He pressed his forehead against Kari's, smiling down at her.

"Promise?" TK asked, his voice just above a whisper. Again the brown-haired girl laughed, this time nodding her head in response. Her bangs flew into TK's eyes as a result. His head recoiled back. Kari jumped, surprise and amusement mixing in her face.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, brushing her hair back quickly. TK then found himself laughing at the situation.

"We really are quite the pair?" TK stated, shaking his head and looking upwards. "No wonder they wanted us separated – we'd never get anything done if we were together." Kari sighed, regaining her composure and bringing her head forwards to rest against TK.

"True enough," Kari said quietly. Her head moved slightly back and forth, her hair rubbing against the fabric of her boyfriend's shirt. TK's arm tightened around her waist. His head meanwhile rested against hers, his mouth kissing softly at her hair. Though barely audible, Kari's voice let out a small noise comfort.

Kari tilted her head backwards, looking up into the cerulean eyes she had watched all evening, as she did nearly every time she was in his presence. The blue pools still had yet to lose the luster they possessed that captured her attention flawlessly; simply seeing his eyes pleased her. Slowly, her eyes slid closed. TK caught Kari's intent, following her lead.

"Kari?"

Kari's eyes snapped open at hearing her name. She looked over at where the camp was, where the voice had also come from. "We oughtta get back," the girl said reluctantly, "The others are looking for us." TK nodded, his hands slowly, reluctantly disengaging themselves from Kari's frame.

Kari took a step forwards, and then noticed that TK hadn't moved. Glancing back over her shoulder, the boy's eyes caught her attention once again. The sadness resonating from them made her sigh. "You're hopeless," Kari said with a shake of her head. Then, with a dash, she tossed her arms around TK's neck and brought her lips to meet TK's open, surprised mouth. Before the boy could react, Kari pulled away from her boyfriend and ran in the direction of the camp. "I'm coming!" she shouted upon hearing her name called again.

TK blinked, his mind still processing what had just transpired. After a moment, a mighty smile whisked across the boy's face. He strode back towards the camp, his shoulders held square and high. He didn't usually strut, but the adoration Kari gave him left him with little other option to express his delight.

With a slow scraping noise of metal on earth, the drone commander arduously regained its feet. Its optical sensors were only slightly damaged from the blows it suffered at the end of its opponent's bludgeoning object. It, therefore, had little trouble examining the surrounding area and coming to the conclusion that they had, indeed, been thwarted in their initial attempt on the enemy. The machination thrust its foot into the ground in frustration. Afterwards, it began to scan the area for any other possible information.

A few moments later, the drone leader had assembled its remaining functional members, consisting of three slightly damaged drones and one critically damaged drone, at the point where they had initiated the ambush. According to the priorities installed in the five operational machines, the enemy's progress needed to be reported to headquarters and all possible effort should be exacted to hinder, if not halt the Dragoons' movement. The five robots were next to each other for only an instant more; they split without any audible communication necessary into two groups. One of the drone commander's underlings with only minimal damage and the heavily injured drone set out in one direction as quickly as possible, while the other three began to move in a slow circle expanding from their initial point or reference.

A message through the synapse communication of the mechanisms informed the drone leader that one of its two allies in the area had found what they had been looking for. Moving instantly to the designated locale, its optical receptors found that, as desired, the tracks of the bear-like creature had left significant tracks leading away from the ambush site. Three long, metallic swords glinted as they were raised up in the hands of their respective controllers.

The tracks led on for roughly six thousand feet, according to the main drone's read-out, before life forms were detected in the immediate area. There was no flash of light this time, they noticed, nor any other sign of the enemy noticing their imminent danger. None of the ten signatures were in a combat-ready stance. Only two, in fact, seemed to be conscious. The numerical odds were, once again, in the drone leader's favor.

The drones halted, only a short distance from the camp of the Dragoons, and paused for a brief moment to re-analyze the situation. If the two apparent night watch figures could be eliminated with minimal sound, then the others would not be alerted to the attack and could be subsequently killed with no resistance. The only necessity was to take the current enemy guards without their being able to raise an alarm. The leader of the drones, for all his talents, had never been installed with any advanced tactical maneuvers of this manner, however. After a complete search of its database, the decision was to simply rely on speed.

"Are you sure that's all there is to it?" Kari looked up from her flute as she whispered to her conscious companion.

"As far as I can tell," Sera responded, sounding somewhat uncertain. "I suppose only time will tell if any of it will really work, though. We'll have to wait and find out, I guess." Kari nodded slowly in affirmation. Neither of the girls, however, was truly pleased with that fate. To depend on something so haphazard as a magical instrument at a critical time could have dire repercussions. "We'll just have to trust in the gods on this one," Sera said conclusively.

The two girls halted their whispered exchange to again survey the shrouded woods around the makeshift campsite. Maddie's illuminating orb long since extinguished, Sera and Kari had come to rely solely on the strength of their own eyes to pierce the gloom. Natural prowess at night left Sera with a better range of vision, but neither child could discern too much despite the dilation of their pupils. Beyond the closest ring of trees, everything seemed to be some shade of dark gray or black.

The silence of the forest bore down with increasing strength as the minutes dragged past. Sera soon found herself unable to stand the void; it was too discomforting. Rising to her feet, Sera began to slowly pace towards the edge of the timber closest to them, and then in a slow circle around the camp. Her footfalls were barely audible, but Sera was pleased with the presence of at least some white noise. She purposefully ignored her training in stealth, landing her feet far more harshly than normal. Her small body beneath the baggy fabric she wore had little impact, however. By the time she had reached the far point of the camp, Kari could no longer make out the individual steps.

After a few moments more, Sera completed her circle about the camp and fell with a huff to sit beside Kari again. Her gaze was downcast, her body hunched beneath her clothes. Kari, looking cautiously to the girl beside her, tried to develop some method of raising Sera's spirits. When nothing jumped to her mind, she asked, "What's wrong?" Sera huffed again, her body seeming to shrink a bit more.

"It's too quiet," Sera stated. Her voice was low and sharp, almost fearful. Kari adjusted her position uneasily, averting her gaze from Sera.

"Maybe I could tell you a story?" Kari offered, hesitantly. Sera shrugged her shoulders; her eyes were set, looking at something beyond the trees before them. Kari figured she had found an opportunity, and began to think quickly of a feasible story to tell. "Well," She began after a minute, "There was the time that TK and I were at-" Kari found herself then cut off.

"I don't want to hear about him," Sera said flatly. Kari was startled. Her head cocked to the side.

"What?" Kari questioned, her eyes focused again on the black-clothed girl. Sera refused to meet her gaze.

"I don't want to hear about TK," Sera repeated. Her tone sounded far more unpleasant. Kari's lips curved downwards. After a sideways glance at her boyfriend, asleep among the others in the center of the camp, Kari stared at the dirt beneath her feet. She took a breath, trying to calm her nerves. Sera's comment was something Kari couldn't help but take as an insult.

"Alright," Kari said after regaining her composure. She began to think again; the silence was beginning to grate on her nerves, as well. Then, with a smirk, she got another idea. Beginning again, she said, "Well, there was this one time, at band camp." Kari's voice trailed off in a grin. Sera, on the other hand, was not amused at the clichéd story beginning. She rolled her eyes. Kari's smile faded.

More tense moments passed, silent aside from the girls' breathing and that of the eight slumbering figures. Kari sighed, falling back from her sitting position to lie on the grass. She stared upwards, picking out a few stray stars that peeked through the dense foliage. The scant twinkling lights reminded Kari of an obscured string of lights. Thanks to her affinity for illumination, Kari soon felt herself feeling far better. Sera's coldness, the dangers ahead, and her separation from TK all seemed to be further away, less tangible. No troubles loomed over her head; only pure light, cast from stars million of miles away. A few of those miles seemed to chip away as the brown-haired girl stared contentedly upwards.

"You'd better not fall asleep on me," an impatient voice said shortly. Kari jumped, broken from her reverie. She apologized quickly, coming back to her alert consciousness. She had chosen to be on guard duty, after all. She scanned the obscured outlines of trees in all directions, again checking for any possible attackers. There were no such offenders, as far as she could tell. Kari's attention again went to Sera.

"Well," Kari whispered after a long pause of silence, "Maybe you have a story you could tell?" Sera grunted. She shifted her weight slightly, but her facial expression refused to change. Her enigmatic shell persevered.

"Like what?" Sera asked. Her tone sounded tired. She evidently was not pleased to continue this discussion. Kari, however, didn't relent.

"Like, tell me something about yourself," Kari suggested. "Maybe you could tell me how you met Lyrmon." Sera made no response. She simply stared, eyes locked on the darkened natural composition in front of her. "How about the story of why you were chosen as one of the Dragoons?" Kari soon regretted that suggestion – Sera flinched at the idea, her eyes narrowing and her hand clenching into a fist. Kari suddenly felt unsafe.

"Have you ever been touched?" Sera asked. Kari's brow furrowed, looking quizzically at the black-robed girl.

"Touched?" Kari repeated, thoroughly confused. Nonetheless, she did her best to answer, "Of course I have, I mean, who hasn't?" Sera's eyes looked from the woods to Kari, her eyes piercing.

"Not like that," Sera said impatiently. Kari looked back into the green eyes of her companion. Then, with a sudden rush, she understood Sera's meaning. Kari blushed, diverting her line of sight.

"I- I, but th- that, I- I," Kari stammered incoherently, shocked at such a sudden and forward question. Shyly, she turned her body from Sera. A proper answer suddenly felt very hard to find. Her mind raced through all of the times TK had been with her: hugging her, kissing her, showing her all of his heart's love and affection. All the time they spent together had always felt right, regardless of what physically took place. Hearing Sera's voice, however, made her somewhat regret the more personal time she had spent with her boyfriend. The green-eyed girl made it sound improper; she made it sound dirty. "N-no," Kari managed to get out, "not really." To her, it wasn't a lie. No matter how close she and TK had been together, they always held respect for each other before anything else. Referring to it as Sera did was something Kari knew to be different.

Sera took Kari's statement, not willing or not caring to argue. "Be glad," she stated before looking back to the woods. She continued to talk, however, as her eyes investigated the overgrowth. "Don't I wish I could be innocent like that again? But I guess this is just my luck. There's nothing romantic to it," she informed Kari, "Love and all that. It's all a lie for men to get what they want. They'll tell you one thing, act with all of their talent to persuade you to see things exactly as their perverted minds do, and then they know that they can take full advantage of you." Tears began welling in the girl's eyes as she continued: "They leave you defenseless and helpless, without any proper means of defending yourself against them. Men are monsters – lusting, desperate monsters that will do anything to satiate their craving for the female body. Only then do they learn that their hunger can never be filled, just temporarily pleased. Then, the cycle begins again." Despite her best efforts, Sera could no longer withhold her sadness, her frustration. Water trickled along her cheeks free, unchecked. And all the time, she continued in her spiteful words. "The beast hunts for more supplies to feed its ever-present demands. He never considers the result his infatuation has on his victims. Oh, no, he doesn't give a second thought to how he treats you." Sera tried to say more, but she could not find the voice. Sobs replaced words as she pounded the ground with her fist.

Kari stared. Utterly shocked, she couldn't bring herself to do anything else. Sera was doubled over, now, her resolve broken, looking dismal as she cried. Her former façade of strength and stoicism was as shattered as a pane of glass after meeting a boulder. Her vehement speech, too, left Kari in nothing short of awe. The hideous mental image Sera had provoked left Kari's core thoroughly shaken. Even the slightest intimation of TK being so desirous disturbed her greatly.

Kari's reeling mind began to make some connections as she sat, helpless, watching the female Dragoon cry. Sera had a clear dislike for men, especially when any sense of romance was involved. Indeed, she seemed to find romance a revolting concept in and of itself. The girl had such a different view of males that made Kari curious about what the cause of such a skew could be. She then remembered her question that had struck a chord in Sera – her reason for being a Dragoon. Kari decided that, logically, whatever trauma she had experienced had been somehow related to improper treatment at the hands of some horrible example of a man. Kari's mind made the rest of the connections very quickly. Her stomach turned sharply, becoming intensely uncomfortable.

Slowly, tentatively, Kari edged herself closer to the sobbing green-eyed girl. Her crying had weakened, tapering off in a few last bursts. Then, to Sera's surprise, a gentle arm laid itself gently across her shoulders. She didn't pull away; the arm held no force, only comfort. Her breathing ragged, Sera brushed her eyes as she attempted to regain herself. Kari's sad eyes sought Sera's, but to no avail. The former opted to let Sera have her way, instead simply hugging her with as little offensive or sudden movement as possible. Still Sera did not fight the brown-haired girl.

Shortly thereafter, Kari got the nerve to speak. "I'm sorry," she said first, "I'm so sorry you had to go through that." Sera shuddered at the memory. Her body moved involuntarily towards the warmth of Kari's arms. "He did more than touch you, didn't he?" Kari said, doing her utmost to be gentle and careful in her words. Sera didn't respond for a long time, but her head did eventually bob in the affirmative. Fresh tears fell from her emerald eyes. Kari dropped her gaze; she hated being right sometimes.

"He was a fucking bastard," Sera whispered between choking sobs. "He didn't fucking care about anything. All he wanted was me. No," she corrected herself, "All he wanted was my body. Nothing more. He wanted my body and he took what he fucking wanted, the fucking bastard." She shook her head violently, spraying water to either side from her cheeks. "He broke my wrist when he first grabbed me," Sera went on, her arms now holding Kari's against her. "He twisted my arm behind my back and broke my wrist in the process. He broke the straps of my clothing next. Leaving me with any dignity was not on his fucking list. I was crying then, too, but he only slapped me with his free hand. That was his idea of fucking comfort – punishment. My body became his toy, his plaything. He used me. He tore my body and my soul then, and never gave it a second thought. I was just his toy; toys have no feelings." Sera's sobbing renewed; she leaned her head against Kari's arms.

"I'm sorry," was all Kari could manage to say. She repeated herself again and again in Sera's ear until, after a few long minutes, the girl's verdant eyes relaxed, lifting from Kari's sleeve. With harried breath, Sera slowly relaxed her body from the ordeal of reliving the experience of her past. Kari's mind still hadn't fully processed the full idea – tending to Sera's unhappiness was far more important in her mind. But, as the black-clothed girl calmed herself, Kari found her mind swimming with questions. As terrible as it felt, she couldn't help but be curious. "Was," Kari whispered uncertainly, "Was it someone you knew?" Sera made no move to respond. "You don't have to tell-" Kari's voice was cut off as Sera's hand shot up to cover the former girl's mouth. Kari's eyes shot open in surprise. Sera paid Kari no mind, however, her body jumping to its feet and her left hand snapping to her back. With her upper body parallel to the ground and her legs bent, Sera's eyes looked expectantly into the woods before her.

A branch snapped in the shadowed foliage beyond the camp. Sera's arm tensed, gripping tighter. It was then that Kari remembered what Sera kept against her back – her massive shuriken. Kari's eyes darted fearfully to the woods. Dread fell over her expression; something, or perhaps multiple somethings, had decided to attack them.

"Bastards," Sera whispered. The overgrowth then broke completely, spewing forth to reveal three shadowed drones charging forwards, swords pointed to thrust. Sera smirked sarcastically. With a single surge of her body, the girl shot her left arm in a move that was long-since commonplace and changed her stance to keep her upper body perpendicular to the forest floor. With pinpoint precision, Sera's gigantic shuriken whirled forwards and collided roughly with the front-most drone. The opposing forces of its charge and the weapon's throw met and drained each other. With a sudden lurch backwards, the drone collapsed to the side. Sera's four-pronged weapon had successfully pierced the drone's core in two locations. The two other drones, unfortunately for Sera, gave their downed ally no attention. They closed the distance in a matter of seconds.

"Oh, fuck off," Sera grumbled. She leapt forwards, meeting her opponents just a few feet in front of Kari. She then purposefully fell backwards, dropping almost completely to the ground; her forearms held her from the grass and dirt. The wild thrusts of the robotic creations subsequently missed her. With a sharp kick from each foot, Sera then sent the drones sprawling to the earth. The green-eyed girl jumped back up from the ground, her feet catching her deftly. The drones, too, worked to regain their positions. The drone that had fallen to Sera's right, closer to Kari, was her first priority. A second kick sent the drone again to the ground, stunned. Sera then punched the back of the drone's head. She held her clenched right fist against the machine's imitation skull. Her arm surged with energy, her forearm jerked back slightly, and the robot's head was thrust forcefully into the dirt. It did not move again.

Sera rose from her second defeated enemy, only to find a sword narrowly miss skewering her. She leapt backwards, and then jumped to the left to avoid a second stab at her midsection. With a second movement backwards, this time in the form of a back flip, Sera caught her right forearm with her left and clenched her fist, just as before. She pointed her straight arm at the robotic aggressor. Her eyes were deathly narrow. "Do not fuck with me," She said, even and cold. Her arm surged back. A flash of silver zipped from the wide black sleeve on Sera's arm, connecting with the drone's head and making a tearing sound of metal piercing metal. The drone's head recoiled from the impact. A second surge sent a second silver bolt into the same spot. The drone's head jerked back roughly, taking steps back to keep balance. With a third and final burst from Sera's arm, the drone was knocked backwards onto the ground. A thrice-pierced hole, bored larger by each successive projectile, laid bare the inner circuitry of the machine. Its operational status was effectively terminated.

Sera's body relaxed, her arms dropping back to her sides. She checked on each of the defeated drones in turn, making sure that none would rise to continue fighting. Upon checking the first she had taken out, she retrieved her great throwing star and reattached it to her back. She then ambled back to where she had been sitting by Kari, her eyes still narrow and her shoulders hanging heavily on her frame.

"How," Kari couldn't finish her question, her eyes wide as she stared at Sera's right hand. Sera followed Kari's gaze, then noticed that her right arm was all but completely concealed by the robes she wore. She chuckled, a pleasant noise that Kari wished she had heard more of before.

"Here," Sera said. She pulled back the sleeve on her right arm. A long apparatus engulfed her forearm, stopping just inches from her elbow. Attached by the leather brace was a long, slender barrel. It had a few knobs and gauges welded to different positions, along with a long square, curving around her arm, that Kari figured to be the weapon's munitions storage. How the gun operated, Sera explained by opening her hand, was through a small synapse cable that acted like a trigger when she pulled her ring finger tightly into her hand. "It fires bolts that are similar to those shot from a crossbow," she informed Kari. "It's not very accurate over more than twenty feet, but it packs a heavy punch with the surge hammer and can release a full clip of twelve bolts in about three seconds, should I want it to. It's just another one of the many intricate devices that my sovereign digimon created for me to use." Kari's eyes still shone with wonder at the construct, so small and yet so effective at dispatching adversaries.

"In answer to your other question," Sera continued on with a heavy sigh, "it was my father." Kari brought her line of vision from Sera's arm to her face.

"My second question?" Kari said slowly, her brow tightened as she tried to remember. Her attention had been so swept away with the combative display that she had almost forgotten their previous exchange. But, after only a moment's passing, the memory swept back over her with stunning force. Kari gasped. "Your father?" she repeated with shocked eyes.

Sera nodded slowly. "It must've been over four years ago, now," she added off-handedly. "But with every new guy I meet, I can't help seeing that same expression of desire running rampant in his eyes. That's why I wear this-" she gestured to the folds of clothing encompassing her body. "It doesn't give away my figure at all, so men won't stare." Kari looked at the group behind her, then back at Sera.

"Would Ivan and Hakin really stare?" Kari asked, slightly surprised. She'd never taken the taller boy to be a gawking boy, at least. Hakin, on the other hand, seemed to be too simple-minded towards combat to consider females with interest. Sera shrugged her response.

"They did once," Sera stated. "But, in all fairness, they've long since stopped. Ivan, in particular, let his eyes wander to that other Dragoon." Sera smirked as both girls glanced at Maddie, sleeping serenely with Ivan beside her and Ryan lying between them. "She's lucky," Sera furthered with a sad smile, "Jason never went through with his intent to rape her. And then there's Ivan who, I must admit, has been quite thoroughly un-masculine in his treatment of her. She's very lucky." Kari bobbed her head in agreement. She stole a glance at her own counterpart, his blond hair falling over his eyes as he slept.

"TK isn't bad, either," Kari said, her eyes looking back at Sera. "He's always been so respectful of me and my space. He's put up with so much of my bad temper and attitude that I can't help but thank him for it. He's very gentle, too, if he ever does want to be close to me. It's never been something I haven't wanted, either. I'm very lucky, too." Kari felt a wave of guilt sweep over her, throwing her gaze to the ground. Her phrasing hadn't been nearly as eloquent as she would have liked.

"I'm happy for you," came the response. Kari looked back up, surprised to see a smile on her companion's face. She looked so pretty smiling; Kari was able to reason why guys might find her so alluring. As she continued, however, the smile faltered. "Having a father like mine isn't something I would ever wish on anyone," Sera told Kari. "It leaves some irreparable scars, regardless of what you do to cleanse yourself afterwards." She shook her head, dispelling the thoughts plaguing her. "I'd like to think I've coped with it, but I guess I'm not quite there yet." Sera smiled again, grinning as she leaned back on her elbows. "Someday, I might be lucky, too," She whispered.

"You will be," Kari assured her. "You'll be fending them off with a ten-foot pole until one decent enough comes into the picture. Then he'll have to figure out how to not get himself shot." Both girls giggled at the mental image. Sera nodded her head.

"But even then, I don't think I'll have someone to serve guard duty for me, eh?" Sera tossed her head in TK's direction. Kari laughed again, looking over at the dozing boy.

"We take turns," Kari replied in a weak defense of her boyfriend. Sera nodded, understanding. Her demeanor, however, would not let the joke drop.

"Don't feel badly," Sera went on. "Maddie's in the same boat as you." With more laughter, Kari realized that Sera had a point. Houndramon was the only male creature serving watch duty tonight. She sighed, calming herself, and fell onto her back.

"I guess I can see where you're coming from after all," Kari said with another smirk. "Guys can be a bit of a drag, huh?" Sera took her turn chuckling. She gave a weak reply in the affirmative to Kari. "But, speaking of Maddie," Kari added, glancing at the moon, "do you think we could have them get up and do their time on guard duty now?" Kari's words were met with a sudden snort. Kari raised an eyebrow, looking over in Sera's direction. The noise, however, persevered into a long, drawn-out snore. Sera looked at Kari briefly and groaned.

"Oh, no," she said in an aggravated moan. She pointed at Hakin, who had rolled over and was now snoring with great volume in the air. "Someone get me a bucket," Sera grumbled as she got slowly to her feet. Kari stared at her.

"A bucket?" Kari asked curiously. Sera smirked at the phrase. Offering a hand to Kari, she helped the brown-haired girl to her feet.

"I've been working with that hulk for a year, now," Sera explained with a smile. "I've learned how to manage when he gets like this. Of course, I usually had a bucket more handy than I do now." Her grin widened, a flash of playful devilry dancing on her teeth. Kari could only stare, a weak smile on her own face. "Go get the digimon up," Sera instructed, stepping into the pile of human bodies, "I'll take care of Hakin, then get Maddie up." Kari nodded. Then, pacing towards the four unconscious digimon, she shook her head in amusement.

"She's quite the girl," Kari whispered to herself as she knelt over Houndramon. Both he and Lyrmon were on their feet, or paws to be more accurate, a few minutes later. Maddie, too, was awake and alert. Hakin had, miraculously, gone into a far more silent slumber. Kari met Sera's eye, and both girls smiled.

"Didn't need a bucket after all," Sera called quietly to Kari, who giggled in reply. Maddie stared at the two girls, and then shook her head.

"Got acquainted, did we?" Maddie asked of the closer girl, Kari. Sera and Kari exchanged another glance and another, quieter laugh as they moved to proper places to lie down for the remainder of the night.

"Yeah," Kari answered. "She's quite the character. I guess it's something one has to acquire in order to deal with Hakin, huh?" Maddie smiled.

"There's no one who can handle men better than Sera," Maddie let Kari know, affirming the latter's thought. "It's a wonder Ivan isn't so scared of women in general. I guess I have Allison to thank for that." At Kari's confused stare, Maddie elaborated, "Allison was one of Ivan's best friends when he was little. She was one of the main people that helped him after his parents passed away. I owe so much to her." Then, Maddie flushed and gave Kari gentle shove. "You need to get to bed," Maddie explained hastily, "We've gotta be moving in only a few hours. Please get some sleep while you can."

"I'm going, I'm going," Kari replied with a laugh. She bid Maddie, Sera, and the two digimon goodnights before at last lying down. She brought herself to lie next to TK, still peacefully asleep despite the disturbances the girls and the invaders had caused. She smiled at the gentle expression on her boyfriend's face, eternally adorable in her eyes. However, TK's eyelids, along with his unkempt bangs that fell across his forehead, covered his eyes. Very delicately, Kari brushed the boy's hair back from his forehead to behind his ear, where it was normally tucked.

"Love," Kari whispered in the boy's ear. Then, with one of her hands still framing his face, she pressed her lips softly to his forehead. Lingering for a moment, she did her best to resist waking the boy to enjoy is returning affection. She resisted the temptation, though, and instead dropped back down and nestled herself against his body. She wove her arms around his body, hugging herself to him. Then, getting as comfortable as she could in the position, Kari sighed and let her heavy eyelids drop at last.

A few minutes later, with Kari then only half conscious to notice, TK's arms returned the embrace to Kari's prone form.


	3. Sunday, Bloody Sunday

(A/N: So yeah, I took over a year and a half to come back to all this. Quite the wait, I realize. And so I indulge you all with a brief note from me. Any other pauses of this length are highly unlikely to come again. My writing is far too valuable to my life for me to go on without it. Therefore, I hope you can all enjoy what we have here, and stay tuned; I'll be putting up all the story that you could ever ask for from here on out.)

The Ivani Chronicles : Book 3 – Rancor : Chapter 3 – Sunday Bloody Sunday

"He wasn't kidding when he said he got no sleep last night, was he?"

"Of course he wasn't. When he came in, it must've been halfway through the night; I don't know what he was thinking."

"He probably wasn't – he's got a knack acting without thinking."

"Oh, leave him alone, Houndramon. I'm sure he and TK needed to clarify what was happening once we got here. Besides, he's adorable when he's asleep."

"If you consider that adorable, why aren't you dating a wooden log? I'm sure they're far more lively an-"

Further conversation was cut off by a sharp crack, followed by a canine whimper. At the snapping noise, Ivan's body jolted upwards. With blurry blue eyes, the brown-haired boy looked about. Right beside him, he saw Maddie glaring down at a cowering Houndramon; her open palm was red. Ivan blinked, confusion overcoming his senses. A moment later, sleep returned to pull him back to the earth. His movement was interrupted, however, as Sera's hortatory voice called out, "Get up, you slug; you've slept plenty." Ivan groaned and rolled forwards to his feet. Maddie and Houndramon both looked from each other to the boy, grinning sheepishly.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to-"

"We were just having a bit of-"

"We really didn't mean anything by-"

"Just give us a second to-"

Ivan held up his hand. Maddie and Houndramon stopped talking over one another at the silent command, staring at the boy's palm. Ivan let a small smile come to his lips and dropped his hand. "Thank you," he whispered. "Silence really is best in the morning." Maddie and Houndramon exchanged perplexed glances. Meanwhile, Ivan strode towards his box of equipment to assure that his armor and weapons were ready for use.

"Whatever you say, Ivan," Houndramon said slowly. Then, after further thought, he hopped up from his prone position. "Wait a minute," the dog-digimon growled. Ivan turned back to face the creature. "Silence isn't nearly as good as food in the morning. What in the cosmos are you thinking?" Ivan's brow furrowed.

"Excuse me?" Ivan queried. "Did my companion suddenly digi-volve into a pig? I guess I missed a lot while I was asleep." Maddie started giggling quietly.

"Hey," Houndramon said defensively, "I'm not piggish. I just like my fill of energy in the morning. All your scientists say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, don't they? You don't honestly expect us to infiltrate a robot foundry on empty stomachs, do you?" Ivan chuckled and shook his head. Houndramon grinned, raising his head up in apparent victory. A weighted object then collided with his head, shocking the canine and setting him on alert. "What the-" As he spoke, his eyes came to rest on an apple lying near his feet. Houndramon looked up for an aggressor and found Sera staring back at him.

Sera did not seem amused. "You said you were hungry – eat." The dog growled lowly. Sera smiled then, stepping over her equipment crate and kneeling beside the beast. "Sorry, buddy; you've just gotta learn to put a stopper on that flamboyant tongue of yours." She picked the apple up from the ground and, after brushing off the dewy grass on her black gi top, handed the fruit to Houndramon. The dog took a bite, keeping an eye on the girl holding the apple.

"This better not be another trick," The dog said with suspicious eyes. Sera only grinned.

"Nothing of the sort," She assured the animal. "After all, we're gonna need your help getting into the factory – you're going to be the decoy for the turret fire." Houndramon suddenly found the apple in his throat inescapably large; he began choking. After coughing a few times, the animal regained his capacity to breathe. Sera, on the other hand, had walked away with a smirk upon her lips. Houndramon groaned.

"That's just my luck, isn't it?" The dog pouted to himself. His eyes fell despondently to the half-eaten apple lying on the wet grass. "You'd better be the best damn energizing apple on this planet, 'cause I'm gonna need all the help I can get to outrun gunfire."

"He doesn't actually believe that we're going to use him as a decoy, does he?" Kari asked TK, sitting beside the boy next to his box of armor. TK shrugged. He wasn't certain what his role was for the break-in, let alone the task appointed to the black canine.

"At least he'd be good at it," TK said in an optimistic voice. Kari rolled her eyes and sighed. TK grinned, placing an arm around Kari's shoulders. "Don't worry – Ivan and the others wouldn't ever place their friends in danger like that. Houndramon will find out the plan when we all do, and then he'll be chipper once again." TK turned his attentions back to the contents of his box. "What do you think I should wear?" he asked Kari, "The chain mail, or the leather plates?"

Kari giggled. "That almost sounded like a question from Tai when he's going out to dinner." TK's eyes bulged as he looked back at the girl. She waved her hands in defense. "Not the armor stuff," she said quickly, "just the first part. He can never decide what to wear for dates."

TK turned his gaze back to the box beside him. "First, that has got to be the strangest analogy I've heard in a long time. Second, that does nothing to answer my question." To emphasize his point, TK yanked out a sleeve of chain mail with one hand and a leather shoulder plate with the other. "How on earth would I know which one of these would be more useful?"

"You're coming with me to fight robots, aren't ya?" The couple looked up to see Hakin, fully armored in shimmering silver mail. In particular, his exceptionally refulgent, golden shoulder plates stood out radiantly over the silver links. Each plate was embossed with the image of his sovereign digimon – the turtle. He cast an exceptionally intimidating shadow over them. His facial expression belied this impression, however; he smiled kindly at the nervous boy. "Robots are far more likely to use bludgeoning attacks than piercing maneuvers like the drones. Don't worry about the small stuff. You need protection from less point-precise hits. Good shock absorption with padding is a definite bonus. Then again, drones may show up too; maybe a variation is best for you." Then, seeing that his advice meant little to the inexperienced Digidestined, Hakin knelt down next to TK's box of equipment. "We'll come up with a set-up together, then, okay?" he offered.

"That'd be great," TK said sincerely. The pair then laid out all of the armor pieces in TK's crate; Kari turned back to her own box, withdrawing what she felt would best suit her purposes. She knew she needed mobility, but, without TK, she knew she needed something with sufficient protective coverage. Thinking about any alternative caused her throat to constrict. She placed her focus back on the box: yes, this was just the outfit she needed.

The remaining preparations for departure didn't take long. Few of the humans ate, mixed sensations of apprehension and fear excising any desire for food. Rather, they were anxious to get their mission underway. Ivan and Maddie were the next to be ready after the other two Dragoons. Though Sera's outward garb hadn't changed, her stance alone assured her companions that she needed no other preparation. The digimon were naturally primed, needing no equipment to aid their naturally designed combative bodies. Thus it fell on TK and Kari, who were hastily setting all the straps of their garments into proper position and fitting.

"Are you sure you're ready, TK?" Ivan asked softly. He was at the younger boy's side now, his ungloved hand on TK's shoulder. There was a plate of leather between Ivan's hand and the blond-haired boy's shirt, but the connection was strong all the same. TK smiled, if slightly, as he affixed his right-hand gauntlet to his forearm.

"I think I am," he replied. He looked to his companion, and was again struck by the presence that Ivan could inspire. Silver metal adorned his shoulders and forearms, while deep brown leather provided suitable protection for the boy's chest and torso. Of course, at his waist hung the scabbard that held Ivan's sacred weapon. His upper arms and legs were covered only slightly, to allow for maximum mobility. Flowing from his back was a cape of midnight blue, and the effect nearly made the young man appear regal. He even wore a circlet of silver upon his head, though TK knew the article was for protection. Nevertheless, Ivan found himself having to glance at his boots to avoid the stare of his friend.

"You really can't help showing off, can you?" Maddie quipped in Ivan's ear. Ivan's cheeks flared as he turned to look at the girl. His mouth opened in defiance, and then closed. Maddie giggled. "Some things never change," she told him. She then kissed the boy's cheek and took his free hand in her own. She let her attention turn to TK, smiling approvingly at his armor. "That should keep you together nicely," Maddie assured him. "Not to mention that the brown leather and green fabric match with a certain natural, rustic charm." She smirked at the boy's reaction.

"She's right, ya know," a second voice added from behind the boy's shoulder. TK turned to see Kari, an approving smile on her lips. TK blinked, ensuring that he was still seeing the same girl he'd loved for the past year. Her face and hair were undoubtedly the same, but she was no longer dressed like the typical teen-ager of his world. Rather, she wore a heavy tunic of a muted pink hue. It was somewhat reminiscent of her winter coat, though the imbued shoulder pads broke the comparison. The sleeves were loose and cut off shortly before her wrists, where her bright pink gloves took over. They looked identical to the gloves from her home, but TK noticed that they seemed more substantial, more protective. The main change in Kari's clothing was at her waist: she wore a belt woven from white strips of leather, and upon this was buckled the scabbard of a sword. The sheath was dulled silver, and the handle of the weapon was swathed in crimson leather.

"My lady," TK said, taken by a sudden impulse of chivalry. He took both of Kari's hands in his own, bowed slightly and kissed the girl's forehead. She, too, had donned a circlet, using it in place of her hairclip to keep her bangs at bay.

TK took a step back, looking down into the eyes of his transformed girlfriend. Once again, the presence of war was unsettling him. Running a hand along Kari's cheek, he said, "You seem outfitted to lead an army now, Kari. Where does that leave me?" She smiled up at him, doing her best to mask her own nervousness and apprehension.

"Even generals need their knights in shining armor," Kari assured her boyfriend. She threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him for the time that they could spare. Ivan and Maddie dutifully averted their eyes, walking hand-in-hand back to the rest of their party. As Kari pressed her lips against TK's neck, the two Digidestined felt the familiar pulse of one another's crests between them. Beneath the folds of clothes and armor, the two devices still jumped to life at the proximity of the counterpart.

"Don't take it off, okay?"

"Never. I'll keep it with me always."

"Always."

TK tightened his arms around Kari's waist, and then slowly pulled back from her. They needed to go, and they both knew that everyone waited upon them. TK risked a sheepish smile at the girl, and whispered, "I'm sorry I'm not as shiny as you'd like." Kari rolled her eyes, her smile livening. She took the boy's hand and began to walk to the others.

"Come on," she told him; "We don't want to keep them waiting."

* * *

A short while later, the party emerged from the dense foliage of the woods. Over the past half-mile that they had walked, the vitality of the forest had seemingly deteriorated around them. Each step that brought them closer to the factory also brought them further from the vibrancy of nature. The intrusion of Jason and his comrades was doubtless responsible for the problem; the influence of the synthetic was here overpowering the integrity of the natural. 

Ivan and Hakin were leading the party. Their weapons flew out to clip aside any branches that interfered with the path to their destination. More and more, the branches yielded easily to the boys; the lifeless trees here could not resist even slight force. Lyrmon and Houndramon were on the heels of the two, stamping down any obstructions in the undergrowth. Their eyes were also alert to the path before them – danger was omnipresent in the domain of their enemy. Some distance behind them, the remainder of the group followed and watched the decay of the forest for any signs of a threat. Osakamon, Maddie, and her Ryan were in the middle of the group. Filmaramon was presently acting as a sling about the girl's shoulders for the child to lie in. Ryan, to his merit, was somehow aware of the seriousness of the situation. He was quiet for the duration of the hike, placated with the sight of his loving mother and the sensation of her arms beneath him.

TK and Kari were a few paces behind, hands intertwined and senses vigilant. Though they knew that they were to part soon enough, they both took great comfort in what time they were allowed to spend together. Kari's promising words echoed through TK's head time and again. He squeezed her hand gently, wishing he knew how to better express his gratitude and affection for everything she had done for him. After all of the hardships that the two had faced, TK knew that he could depend upon Kari alone to inspire life and light. If he was to be tested without her, he knew that he at least needed to keep her indomitable voice of inspiration pulsing in his heart.

At the tail end of the party was Sera, acting as a rearguard for her allies. Though it amounted to little time overall, Sera was grateful to be the last to see the last signs of verdant growth in the forest. When the environment disintegrated entirely into brown husks of trees upon the dusty soil, the girl felt sullen. She had already experienced such a loss of innocence and solace; the image of her father was suddenly burning in her mind's eye. To see nature succumb to the same torture and depravation at the hands of another gnawed at her senses inexorably. She rolled her head from side to side, seeking a release from the building tension in her neck. This was going to be her chance to release nature from the rape of industrial growth, and she was getting anxious.

As the path opened up from the desolate forest onto more open ground, the company could make out the sight of tall towers not far away. Concrete gray against the cerulean sky, the buildings cast lowering shadows over the fallow terrain. TK shuddered involuntarily. So this was the infamous source of the drones and robots – the demonic machines that had threatened the lives of everyone he held dear. His free hand tightened on his wooden staff. Yes, he knew that he was ready now. He hadn't been sure when Ivan asked him before, but he knew now.

Ivan and Hakin exchanged glances as they began walking up to the stone edifices. Their eyes darted from side to side, seeking a sight of confrontation, almost wishing for it. The suspense of the situation left the boys unnerved. Certainly the security of the installation extended beyond the walls of the buildings, but any sign of resistance was still not visible. As they walked, the pores of the concrete became distinguishable, along with the series of gun ports along the roofs. In each port, a double-barreled gun turret was prepared to open fire as soon as a target presented itself. The accuracy of the weapons was poor, but this shortfall was compensated by an excessive amount of ammunition to draw upon.

Hakin's eyes were squinting at the weapon emplacements, his mind remembering former encounters with the incessant barrage of ammunition that those weapons were capable of. He glanced at his companion and was suddenly relieved to have Ivan back. If anyone could halt the stream of bullets, it would be the Guardian. Ivan raised an eyebrow when he noticed the axe-wielding man was staring at him. He slowly returned the gaze of Hakin. Then he smiled in understanding; he was equally glad to have an ally in the front ranks of combat.

"Now, just remember," Ivan said to Hakin, "we've got to-"

Before he could give any further in his explanation, an explosion threw clumps of dirt and rock at the party. The attention of the four Dragoons snapped at once in the direction of the detonation. In the same instant, they let out a collective groan. Maddie jumped onto the bear, and Osakamon bounded from the clearing with his charges.

"Oh shit," Hakin muttered. His great axe was in hand at once and, an instant later, a drone's sword collided with his block. Ivan's own sword knocked down the blades of two adversary drones. Three more drones broke through this front rank – their target was apparently the two Digidestined. Houndramon and Lyrmon chased after the trio instinctually, while TK swung his staff out in protection of himself and Kari.

The source of the explosion, meanwhile, was still unengaged. It was a large robot, void of even a disguise. Appearing more like a tank than a creature, the upper half of the machine, roughly humanoid in form, was attached to the back of a large tank-tread platform. A large cannon attached in place of a right arm was presently taking better aim on the Digidestined. The circular black opening of the gun caught Sera's attention from the very back of the party. She smirked, and then charted an impromptu path in her mind. Her feet took off at once.

Her first target was the trio of drones bearing down on the Digidestined. The digimon were fast, but not fast enough to beat the charge. With a spin, Sera let loose her immense shuriken. The throw sent the bladed object low – the first two drones were effectively tripped up – before slamming into the ground a dozen feet behind Ivan. Sera rushed past the Digidestined, dodged under the swipe of the standing drone, and artfully leapt over the still recuperating enemies. Lyrmon and Houndramon tackled them back to the ground as soon as they had regained their footing.

Hakin's axe was busy in rapid deflection and return. His adversary's sword clanged off of his handle, and then off of his shoulder plate. His axe was intercepted by a parrying swipe. Metal struck metal again and again, making any attempt at communication a useless prospect. Instead, Hakin worked his footing and protection to gain an advantage over his opponent. His armor was soon scratched and dented, but the metal was firm; he knew what parts of his equipment could take the most punishment and exploited these advantages to their full potential. Another sidestep gave him access to a first significant strike – he caught the off-hand forearm of the drone. With a flurry of sparks, the end of the appendage hurtled across the dusty plain. But his opening was only that long; the drone's weapon was again thrusting at Hakin's neck, forcing him to give ground.

Ivan was pitted against two drones from the battle's beginning. He knocked away the jabs of one opponent, and then the other. He moved quickly, though slower than when he fought unencumbered. He heard a dull thud behind him, causing his attention to falter. Sera's weapon was embedded behind him. He blinked, but his attention lasted only as long as the drones could stand. A second later, Ivan was stumbling away from his two enemies with a groan. Though his shoulder pad had absorbed most of the blow, the drone's sword had clearly broken through the plating to Ivan's skin. The boy's eyes narrowed. He snatched up Sera's weapon in his free hand and lunged back into the two drones.

TK was amazed as the battle sprang into violent action before him. Instinct brought his weapon to the ready, but he could hardly comprehend how he could stop the three charging drones. A partial solution came from Sera's quick actions; only one of the aggressors didn't go sprawling into the rocky terrain. But before the blond-haired boy could prepare further, the metal sword was diving for his stomach. His eyes snapped into focus, and he knocked away the skewering strike. Adrenaline and instinct took control of the boy, leading him in the fatal dance of combat. He spun out from the block, swinging his blunt weapon out at the head of the drone. The attack was knocked away, but the other end of his rod caught the machine in its mechanized legs. The drone stumbled back, and lost the necessary range to make its counter-swing carry any importance. TK continued his assault, whirling his staff in rapid circles as he advanced. Wood crashed against steel.

Sera was feeling accomplished. Houndramon and Lyrmon were effectively tearing apart two of the drones, while Hakin, Ivan, and TK were countering the other four. She felt bad that Osakamon could not be involved, but everyone knew that his station was one of the most valuable. However much of a liability he may have been to the group, Ryan's safety was an unquestionable priority. Maddie would have filled the position on her own, but her natural frailty indicated that someone more substantial needed to be ready to take any necessary blows. For this position Osakamon was willing and brave, and Maddie had known then why she had been paired with Hakin for the mission.

However, Sera was more proud of her own accomplishment. Certainly, the efforts of her companions were laudable. She was simply more satisfied by the predicament she had presently trapped the tank-treaded robot in. With a pair of well-aimed shots from her wrist-bow, Sera had effectively rendered her opponent blind. She then threw her running momentum upwards, jumping over the treads of the machine onto its central platform. Without any close-combat protection, the robot was helpless to counter the young girl that it felt hit the central platform except by twisting its torso to swing its gun over the platform in a horizontal fashion. Just as Sera had hoped, the robot lost its aim on the Digidestined; they were safe for the moment. Sera flipped over the swinging gun-arm. She then had to flip again to avoid the back swing. With each jump, Sera worked her way closer to the upper body of the robot.

Ivan was not as entertained with his present situation. He wasn't entertained, that is, until he realized why Sera's weapon had ended up in the ground to begin with. The weapon had served well enough as a makeshift shield, but knocking down one of his opponents would provide just the opportunity he needed. Ivan back-flipped away from the drones and raised his right hand, holding the shuriken. He then recalled that he didn't know how to throw the weapon properly. He paused for a minute, taking advantage of the time that the drones spent bracing for the attack. Then the boy smiled – of course. With their legs set so far apart, the drones were vulnerable to another kind of strike. Ivan darted from his stance into a charge. Before the forward drone could react, Ivan shield-bashed the drone across its stance, smiling as the machine's center of gravity was suddenly shifted from above its legs.

The opening was small, but Ivan took full advantage of his chance. He was on the side of his standing opponent in an instant. He forced his right hand, shuriken outstretched, into the sword of his enemy. He thus cleared the drone's guard and thrust his weapon through its torso. With a shift of his feet, Ivan locked his arm and threw his full weight into a vertical arc. Sparks showered against Ivan's cloaking cape. Then, as the hollowed machine collapsed to the ground, Ivan rolled deftly away from the incoming drive of the now-recovered drone.

Houndramon glanced at Lyrmon, diverting his attention from the half-destroyed drone beneath him. "Ya know," he commented, "You're really graceful when you're shredding things. I'm impressed; you always seem to find a new way to catch my attention on these trips."

Lyrmon spat out a wad of circuitry and tossed a glare in the direction of the hound. "You're joking, right?" she asked, her voice wavering between disbelief and frustration. "Are you really trying to hit on me through how I disembowel robotic enemies?" Houndramon's hopeful expression didn't change. Lyrmon sighed. "Can't you do something more traditional, like flowers or a walk along the beach?"

Houndramon shook his head, replying, "Oh, c'mon, Lyrmon! Where's your sense of romance? The sun's shining high in the sky, we're saving lives, and all the bad guys are toppling before us. It's almost like a scene from one of those action movies that Ivan's always talking about. We get to be heroes like this, and look great while we're doing it." Houndramon flashed the best smile he could manage. Lyrmon's eyes were narrow.

"Houndramon," she said slowly. "You are incredibly cheesy."

Houndramon's expression fell. "You don't like cheesy?"

Lyrmon dropped her gaze. Her claws confirmed that her target was completely dispatched. "Are you kidding?" she said, her head turning to look again at Houndramon. A wickedly alluring smile was now upon her feline features. "I think it's unbearably sexy." With that, she tackled the shocked dog off of his prey. Houndramon suddenly found himself incredibly thankful that he had the courage to talk out of turn as often as he did.

TK was panting now. His adrenaline was running out fast, while the drone showed no real signs of fatigue. True, the machine was limping now, but the arms were still able to swing their sharp weapon without much difficulty. TK let out another combo against the drone: his jab managed to weave past the machine's guard, and his cross knocked aside the blade. The third strike, an up-swing, clipped at the core of the drone, while the final down-thrust fell short of its mark. TK then found himself reeling back to avoid the counterstrikes aimed at his head. He spiraled back, using a series of whirling motions with his staff to clear the sword from coming too close. His options and time were running thin, however. He needed a solution.

Stepping back further from his opponent, TK decided to try using the range of his weapon to his advantage. TK swung the staff to his back, pressing the wood firmly against his shoulders. His left hand held one end, while his right was roughly halfway along the weapon. Turning his right shoulder toward the drone, he made a few feinting swings upwards. Then, twisting his body and surging his left arm, TK let go of the staff with his right hand and whirled the staff out at its full length. On the first pass, the drone stepped out of the arc. TK was glad for this; his next swing, powered by a second spin and both hands, was now unhindered by a previous impact. Thus, with his aggressive advance, the blond-haired boy drove his wooden weapon squarely through the drone's block and into the machine's head.

TK was forced to release the weapon from the recoil of the collision. Nevertheless, he had succeeded in gaining a proper advantage over the drone. With a quick step and kick, he sent his staff into the air. He then caught the wooden weapon and proceeded to bash the prone drone. TK was short of breath, his hands were trembling, and his head was spinning. Still, he was able to confirm the deactivation of his opponent. Of this he was proud. He looked up for Ivan. Before he could find the Guardian, he was shocked by another sight. He blinked. "Is that…?"

"Houndramon-!"

"Lyrmon-!"

"-Quit making out and help me!" The commands came from both Sera and Ivan, who exchanged a glance of surprise and discomfort. A shame-faced Houndramon was on his feet an instant later, loping over to Ivan's feet. Lyrmon was standing, too, and was soon looking for an opening in the robot tank's protection. Then, with a glance at Sera, she came up with a new idea. She bounded to Ivan's side.

With the added force of Houndramon and Lyrmon, the second drone that Ivan had been fighting was suddenly limbless and under the paws of the two digimon. Ivan sighed, his muscles finally taking a moment to relax. Lyrmon cut off Ivan's reverie all too soon for him, however: "Get Sera's weapon back to her! We can handle this guy – help her with the robot." Ivan nodded, and his feet moved hastily towards his next target.

Hakin had long since broken through the guard of his opponent. Tiring of the long exchange, the young man had opted for a sundering blow to his enemy's weapon hand. As the sword had gone spiraling through the air, still grasped in the disembodied hand, Hakin finished his job with a diagonal swing. His axe blade cleft through the enemy, rending metal from metal with a crisp ringing sound. Hakin kicked out the legs from underneath his stunned enemy; the two halves of the drone collapsed to the dirt.

Now, with his immediate threat abated, Hakin moved to rally the rest of the party. Osakamon came at his call, Maddie and Ryan in tow. Kari likewise ran to Hakin, grasping TK's trembling arm and dragging him along. "We need to get inside the base quickly," the axe warrior told them. "The base's security is doubtless converging on this point as we speak. If we can get inside the buildings fast enough, we may be able to complete our objectives. Otherwise, we may very well die. Understood?" The group nodded unanimously. "Good. Now let's move."

Houndramon and Lyrmon fell in line behind Hakin and his companions. Trained for this line of combat, they were in instant compliance with any direct order from the Dragoons. Sera and Ivan, meanwhile, were in the process of terminally disabling the robot. Sera had jumped up onto the shoulders of the robot, where she was safe from any immediate attacks from the machine beneath her. Once he felt that he was close enough, Ivan stopped running and tossed Sera's shuriken high in the air. Her hand snatched the weapon and, with a word of thanks to Ivan, she plunged the bladed weapon into the back of the robot's skull. The wound sparked and sizzled, screaming in a metallic wail of objection. Sera's expression was emotionless; one moment and several thrusts later, the remnants of the robot's head were no longer capable of exertion. The robot was subsequently inert. Sera vaulted from the shoulders of the drone and dashed along the sandy earth after her companions. Ivan lagged a bit behind the main party for her, and together the two Dragoons rushed to catch up with Hakin and the others.

Behind the party, the broken bodies of half-a-dozen drones were strewn across the wasteland about the factory. The ground was harsh upon the feet of the runners, where only their boots kept the sharp rocks and metallic wreckage from cutting at their feet like glass from broken bottles. Sera sighed – this reckless depravation of a place that was once so beautiful and lush had to stop. She forced her legs to move faster, knowing that time was now of absolute importance.

The group was reunited some twenty seconds later. After another twenty seconds, the party was forced to disperse again. A hail of gunfire rained down on the party from the high walls of the foundry. Simultaneously, a high-pitched alarm rang out over the field, calling the full attention of every living creature to the party of infiltrators.

"Get against the walls of the main building!" Ivan shouted over the din of raining ammunition and a screeching siren. Heeding his own advice, Ivan threw his back against the concrete and erected a barrier over his position. The guns were unable to fire directly downward, which provided some abatement to the noise. However, the team needed to move quickly from the main building to their targets: the two subterranean sites at the back of the installation.

"Preliminary Security Line Breached," A monotone voice claimed loudly over the factory's limits. "Engaging Lockdown Sequence. System Will Engage Full Lockdown In Five Minutes." TK's eyes were wide, looking wildly at the girl beside him and Hakin beyond.

"We only have five minutes?" TK asked, a sensation of mixed surprise and dread racing through his veins. Hakin nodded solemnly, his hands tightening on the haft of his axe. TK's eyes then wandered to Kari, still feeling shocked. And yet, when he saw her look back, TK's heart calmed. "Be careful," he asked simply. His hand grasped hers tightly for the last moment he could.

"I promise," Kari replied. She smiled earnestly at her beloved, and then looked away.

TK understood her reaction, and let go of her hand willingly as she dashed off to follow Ivan. He then looked to Hakin, saying, "Let's get this over with."

At that moment, several things occurred at the same time. Hakin and Sera each took command of their group, planning to sweep around opposite sides of the main building and dash for the respective targets. The siren system stated that four minutes and thirty seconds were left before the lockdown began. Ivan swung out around the near corner; the cannon mounted atop the subterranean drone factory kicked into gear on Ivan's movement. And then, with a metallic snap, the doors of both the central and reserve buildings opened. From the openings a handful of security drones jumped out, the final measure that the external security system had at its disposal.

Ivan's barrier held fast against the hailstorm of shells fired from the guard turret. Once he was confident in the durability of the shield, he ushered Kari, Sera, Houndramon, and Lyrmon to stand behind him. Ivan then began moving forward, advancing his field of protection as quickly as he could. However, under the constant strain of the turret's attack, Ivan could make little headway.

"I need to get to that door," Sera shouted to Ivan. Her finger pointed at the still closed portal beneath the turret firing upon them. Her expression was anxious, communicating to Ivan the realized truth – this method of approach would leave them stuck outside after the lockdown sequence had completed. Ivan nodded to the girl, and then turned his attention to his digimon companion.

"You're on, my friend," Ivan told him. Houndramon swallowed, though inaudibly under the chaos of the siren. He nodded, however, and knew his course.

"We'll go together," Lyrmon cut in firmly. Houndramon was surprised, but the look on the panther's face made clear that any opposition was futile. The dog nodded, secretly grateful to be accompanied in his journey. "Just consider it another race," she told him with a smile.

"Loser gets stuck outside!" Houndramon rejoined, a doggish grin coming over his muzzle. The pair of digimon then leapt to action, bolting from Ivan's shield and out into the fray. At the sign of movement, the gun turret altered its aim to track the aggressors. Every bullet fell long of the targets, however; Houndramon and Lyrmon were too fast.

"Come on, Houndramon," Lyrmon chided over the bullets raining behind them. "Is that the best you can do? And to think that you were actually coming off as attractive before."

"You wanna see attractive?" Houndramon returned with a snort. "I'll show you what we digital dogs are really capable of. Just a warning, don't go trying this at home." He winked at the feline digimon. Then, as the pair came up to the small tower of concrete, Houndramon ran towards the structure, rather than around it. His paws collided more furiously with the ground than before, his shoulder muscles rippling beneath his black and blue fur. Then, just before running headlong into the rock wall, Houndramon bounded into the air. His paws collided with the concrete surface. His motion forever fluid, the dog ran up along the wall until nearly reaching the gun turret. Facing the gun turret head-on was not on his agenda, though; he instead sprang from the wall and spun back to the earth. He hit the ground running.

"Not bad," Lyrmon admitted. She had no further time to comment, however. The pair sped away from the tower as quickly as possible – the stream of ammunition that was tracking them was nearly upon them. The two digimon arced out to race along the path between the reserve barracks and the main building. It was then that they noticed the company that they had. Three drones, as surprised as the pair of digimon to see another enemy so suddenly, were completely unprepared for the collision of the two beasts that were running madly towards them.

"Look out!" was all that Houndramon was able to shout out.

Meanwhile, Hakin was looking around the corner of the wall that opened onto the underground robot factory. Osakamon, Filmaramon, and the three humans were at his back. Without any defensive shield, Hakin knew that even inaccurate fire from the turret could injure or kill one of his allies. He needed to get underneath the gun turret, though, and that meant he needed to find some form of a distraction.

Maddie couldn't help but smile at the man's dilemma. She stepped forward and handed off Ryan in the digimon-sling to Hakin. "Leave this to me," she told him, tapping her magically imbued gauntlet. "I've got this one all under control." With that, she dashed ahead of the group as far as she dared along the concrete wall.

The girl took careful aim on the oblivious guard turret. Presently, the weapon's attention was being drawn by something around the far corner of the building. She quickly charged her arm as best she could, bringing her absolute focus onto the metal pod fastened to the top of the building. She closed her eyes while raising her gauntleted arm into the air. Red spheres of energy swirled back and forth about her arm, pulsing with the heat of an invisible fire. Her eyes then snapped open, and the beads of flame shot forth from her arm. With perfect accuracy, the tiny orbs each connected with the intended target. The turret fired off only a few rounds off at its objective on the far side of the structure before the barrage of fiery orbs collided with its side.

In an instant, the spheres exploded in a violent flame. The metal of the gun emplacement was charred, the barrels melting rapidly into disuse. With a small cheer, Maddie leapt to her feet. She turned to call for the others, but found instead that they were already racing around from the front of the building.

"Move!" Hakin shouted at the girl. He turned back around, letting TK run past with Ryan in his arms. TK's eyes locked with Maddie's, and she understood that there was an imminent threat behind them. Maddie took Ryan from the boy's arms, and together they dashed from the side of the central building to the robot factory entrance. A few seconds later, Hakin's feet carried him in the same course. He left Osakamon to handle the attacks of the drones that came from the front door of the installation. He hated the decision, but he knew that he alone could break through the coding of the system to unlock the door.

"System Lockdown Will Commence In Three Minutes."

"Come on, Sera," Ivan urged. He, Sera, and Kari were now huddled against the concrete tower that stood atop the drone factory. The boy was urgently looking around for Houndramon and Lyrmon; the dust of the ground had billowed up into nearly impermeable clouds following the firing of the great gun turret. The turret above was still firing, but Ivan could not make out the target. "Houndramon!" he shouted into the dusty cloud. "Lyrmon! Where are you?" There was no response, and Ivan was growing increasingly more edgy. The gun turret wasn't stopping. The door wasn't opening. He needed to act.

With a backwards glance at Sera to ensure that she was still working, Ivan dashed off into the veil of dust. Kari was shocked by the sudden action, and shocked further when she found her feet following his movement. Her sword was in hand, a sensation that was somehow familiar, despite her inexperience with combat. She did her best to throw hesitation from her mind; if Houndramon or Lyrmon needed help, she wasn't going to leave Ivan alone to provide it, not anymore.

Osakamon's ferocious paws clamped down on the first drone to approach him. With a nearly sadistic glee, the bear wrenched the head from the rest of the machine. Taking the egg-shaped object in one hand, Osakamon swatted the sparking drone body to the side. Then, with his upright balance fading, he crunched the head under his forepaws with his immense weight. The ground shook slightly, standing out against even the constant reverberations of the automatic cannons. Osakamon grinned to himself. Though he didn't exactly enjoy fighting, he far preferred to be in the thick of combat than to be running and hiding precious cargo while his friends got all the action.

Two more drones were approaching the bear now, stabbing out with as much range as they could manage. Osakamon simply sidestepped the thrusts, waiting for the opponents to overstep their guarded stances. The drone further from the wall was the first to open itself. Osakamon lurched forward, his forepaws raking up both of the machine's legs in a single, swift motion. Simultaneously, the drone's bladed weapon caught Osakamon across his already wounded shoulder, causing new blood to spill from the old injury. Osakamon's energy kept him oblivious to the wound, however. The digimon simply lifted up with his hind legs and hurled the sword-wielding enemy into the concrete wall. With a crunch of grinding metal, the drone's elbow joints were first to break against the coarse surface. Limp, the drone fell supine on the cracked earth.

Osakamon was forced to move quickly back in evasion of the remaining drone's sword. His mind was planning a safe way to dispatch the standing drone and ensure that the grounded drone would stay grounded when a subtle sound reached the bear's ear. Curious, he turned his gaze to investigate the door to the main structure. His expression fell into worry at the sight before him. "Six more?" the bear groaned. "You've gotta be kidding me." Seven swords were now bearing down on the bestial digimon. Though brave, Osakamon wasn't a fool. With a grumble of resentment for being so cruelly outnumbered, he turned tail and charged around the corner of the building.

"Just when I was getting back into the swing of things, too," Osakamon complained mentally. He vowed to switch places with Hakin for the next time someone needed to protect Ryan. He was realizing just how much he had missed smashing all the metal adversaries they encountered.

Hakin gained ground on his allies and ultimately surpassed them, running the door first. He set to opening the security locks at once. His hands moved quickly over the interface, retracing the steps of the code that he had learned. TK's eyes were snapping from one place to the next, looking for any possible threats. There was a great torrent of dust rising from somewhere between the two factory entrances, and the far gun emplacement was blazing ammunition into the alleyway. TK's attention then turned to look at Osakamon, who had burst from around the corner and was charging down at the trio of people. His eyes were desperate and his shoulder wound from the previous evening had re-opened.

"Get inside!" the bear roared. A stream of dust shot out behind the bear, but the debris was not sufficient to mask the charge of several drones behind him. Hakin took little notice of the stampede behind him, instead experiencing a rather pleasant surprise as he opened the door on his first try. He forced Maddie through the door before turning to look behind himself. Then, with a jump and wild eyes, Hakin rushed through the doorway as Osakamon bore down on them. TK, meanwhile, was momentarily paralyzed through indecision and, unlike Maddie, had no one to push him through the door. As Osakamon charged through the doorway, TK was knocked roughly to the side. He was sent rolling into the ever-growing whirlwind of dust between the central building and the reserve barracks.

On the far side of the dust cloud, Ivan and Kari were scanning the ground for any sign of their companions. The gunfire had stopped, as even the electronic computer could no longer discern a target in the cloud of sand and debris. Now only the siren pierced through the cloudy air. Still, there was no sign of the two digimon for whom they were so eagerly searching. Ivan continued to shout between fits of coughing, but to no avail. Wherever Houndramon and Lyrmon had disappeared to, they were unable to hear him. In vain, the two moved forward until their feet collided with the metallic remains of a pair of drones.

"Was this their work?" Kari asked, looking at the mangled machinery. The claw marks were nondescript, however, and Ivan could only shake his head in confusion. The only clear information was that the drones were destroyed, no doubt in part by the stray bullets that were now lodged in them. Kari squinted forward, looking for a sign of the digimon. She wanted to see them, to know that they were safe and on their way back. But then, instead of a digimon, Kari saw a third drone marching towards them.

Kari's sword was in the air only just in time to deflect the initial attack. Ivan jumped from his investigation at the collision, rushing to the aid of the girl. He was then surprised to see Kari parry away a second and third attack from her aggressor, her body suddenly dropping into a focused and relaxed state. As Ivan checked the drone with his shoulder, he remembered: Kari had taken dance classes back home. He smiled to himself, knowing what a benefit that would be for the girl now.

Sera finally managed to hack open the door, but a turn of her head demonstrated that her allies were nowhere to be found. She looked around, and could only see a heavy cloud of dust beginning to settle between the central structure and the backmost building. The sudden crash of metal under the blaring siren informed Sera of everything else she needed to know. She tossed her shuriken into the doorway, hoping that it would keep the door from snapping closed again. She then checked the ammunition on her wrist as she ran to get a hold on Ivan and Kari; their time was running out.

"System Lockdown Will Commence In One Minute"

TK was dazed, his head swimming with the pain imparted by the dusty earth. He tried to stand, and slowly managed to regain his feet. He couldn't see well, as dust was beginning to hang in the air around him like a translucent fog. He rested a hand against the nearest wall, trying to recollect what had happened to his friends. There had been a crowd of drones chasing Osakamon not a moment ago, and yet there was not a trace of the machines any longer. He looked around, trying to find the entrance through which his friends had disappeared.

Metal collided against metal then, and TK's senses surged with a wave of alarm. The drones were nearby. Frantic now, TK began to move along the wall he was resting against in search of the door. He blinked rapidly, tears stinging in his eyes as he tried to regain proper vision. The concrete was rough underneath his gloved hands, but he moved on. He knew that soon enough he was bound to find the entrance he had seen his friends go through. Just a little further, and he'd be back and able to see again.

Ivan's sword knocked again against the drone's own weapon. He was extremely anxious to get away from this fight, but knew that his opponent would not let him flee. Moreover, Ivan knew that Sera could not be disturbed while she was opening the door. He then considered that perhaps the door was already open. The sound of the siren was filling his ears, a constant reminder of the imminent lockdown of the site. When that happened, no hacking in the world would breach the doors of this foundry. He looked to Kari as she darted deftly out of range of her opponent.

"We need to go," Ivan shouted. Kari glanced at the boy, and then back at her adversary. She cried out as a thrust from the drone caught her shoulder. Ivan winced, berating himself for distracting her. He raised both hands on the hilt of his sword and, with the drone's attention diverted, delivered a heavy blow to the machine's head. The drone stumbled to the side. Ivan sighed, his body relaxing and his attention returning to Kari. Her hand was clasped on her arm, and the pink color of her armor was slowly becoming redder through her fingers.

Ivan suddenly felt distant from Kari, though he wasn't sure why. She was standing only a few steps away. But then the drone was regaining its feet. The machine's weapon was sailing towards Ivan's midsection before he could grab at Kari's free hand. He cursed, his attention again diverted from the primary objective.

"Lockdown Will Commence In Thirty Seconds"

Kari stumbled back against the wall of the building behind her. Her head was swimming. She couldn't see clearly. The dust had settled, certainly, but the pain in her arm was a completely new sensation that was diverting her attention and senses. However, she did happen to see one image with unparalleled clarity. Further along the side of the building, Kari was sure that she saw TK's image disappear through a doorway into the structure. Her eyes went wide. "Where is he going?" Kari asked of no one in particular. Then, before her mind could make any other decision, Kari dashed down towards the doorway after him.

At the movement of the girl in the cleared alleyway, the gun turret's electronic computer initiated the firing sequence. A steady stream of bullets thudded down into the ground behind Kari as she ran, until only a cloud of newly kicked-up dust could be seen.

Ivan sighed, finally relieved to see his enemy fall to the ground. Now that the drone's head was effectively rolling in the opposite direction, Ivan felt confident that he could get Kari into the installation without further problems. Houndramon and Lyrmon were missing, but he knew that they would be safe. He just needed to get Kari-

"Where is she?" Ivan asked, his eyes suddenly wide. Kari had been standing before him only seconds before, and yet now there was only a concrete wall to greet his eyes. What was more, the turret above the drone factory was again firing upon the alleyway. "Kari!" Ivan cried out, nearly dashing into the hail of bullets to find the girl.

But then Sera's hand had grasped Ivan. "We need to go," she informed the young man calmly. And, with a great effort, she managed to drag the screaming boy away from the gunfire. He was shouting out Kari's name again and again. Sera's heart was torn by his devotion to the girl, but she could not let anything stand between her friends and their objective. She knew that their time was running out. If she didn't hurry, then they would be left alone at the mercy of the gun turrets. Thus, she forced Ivan to continue moving towards the entrance to the drone factory.

Ivan's eyes were distraught, unable to catch a single sign of where Kari had gone. He knew that she hadn't fallen victim to the gunfire, but he couldn't tell where else she could have gone. Yet, perhaps she had run back into the drone factory ahead of him. Ivan's expression brightened, and he turned at once to the opened portal. "Let's go!" he shouted to Sera. With a sigh of relief, the girl raced after the boy through the steel doorway into the target destination.

"Commencing System Lockdown. Please Clear All Doors."

As she jumped over the threshold behind Ivan, Sera swiped up her huge shuriken from the doorway. The steel door slammed shut behind her like the falling blade of a guillotine. All of the other doors on the premise likewise closed with an abrupt and violent surge. The sirens and raining bullets then ceased.

The entire exterior of the factory was suddenly desolate and unnaturally quiet. Just as violently as the storm of combat had erupted, the chaos dissipated with the settling clouds of dust. The eerie calm that followed was only disturbed by the quiet motors of the gun turrets as they turned back and forth, awaiting another threat with an infinite, mechanical patience.


	4. Cling and Clatter

The Ivani Chronicles : Book 3 – Rancor : Chapter 4 – Cling and Clatter

"Come on," Ivan pleaded. His fist slammed against the metal doorway. Tears stung at the back of his eyes, though not from the throbbing pain in his hand. Even the bleeding wound along his shoulder was distant from his mind. All the sensations he felt were numbed by the overwhelming weight of loss. He had failed her, and there was nothing he could do.

"Open up, damnit," the boy cried. He knew his words were futile, but he was ignorant of any alternatives. He had been so certain that Kari would have run inside ahead of himself and Sera. He'd let his fellow Dragoon drag him in without complaint. But then, even after his eyes had adjusted to the dark interior atrium, there had been no sign of his charge. He had turned to run back outside for the girl, but the steel door was sealed. He and Sera could no longer get outside. Similarly, Kari would be unable to get inside. The computerized security system had thrown the entire base into Lockdown.

"What does that mean," Ivan said suddenly, whirling around to face Sera. The girl looked up from her seat on the ground, her eyes questioning. "Lockdown. What does that do, exactly?" Sera sighed. Placing her hands on her knees, she rose to a standing position and faced Ivan, though her eyes were downcast.

"Lockdown of this place means that magnetic locks are engaged," Sera explained. "All of the exterior doors have wire coils that run inside the doorframes. When the security terminal engages the lockdown, a high current of electricity runs through those coils. The result is a powerful, concentrated magnetic field. The door won't budge, and all security codes are useless. The field will turn aside anything that tries to penetrate it, too." Sera paused, turning to look across the room at the door to the internal stairwell. "Jason and his lackeys were very talented in their innovative designs," she commented, her voice soft.

Ivan's brow furrowed. He felt inexplicably hollow. He turned back to the impermeable barrier. "I need to get to her," he insisted. "Kari's not safe out there on her own. The other security patrols must be swarming outside, and there's no way that she can protect herself against," his voice trailed off. The tears were back at his eyes, and he hated them.

Sera bit down on her lower lip, her eyes focused on Ivan's back. The girl's patience was gone, however. They needed to proceed, and she knew the dangerous consequences of inaction. "There's nothing we can do for Kari right now, Ivan," Sera stated, her voice sounding more authoritative than she felt. As Ivan turned to her with his pained expression, Sera, glanced away and continued, "I know you feel badly about leaving her outside, but we cannot worry about her safety right now. We have bigger obligations that-"

"Bigger obligations?" Ivan shot back, frustration flaring. "We have bigger obligations than the safety of the Digidestined?"

"Yes," Sera nearly shouted. Her eyes locked with Ivan's, her determination belying her desperate expression.

"Like what?" Ivan asked bitterly.

"Like our own safety. There's not much you can do to help Kari if you get yourself killed."

Ivan grunted, his eyes staring up at the piping that ran just below the ceiling. "I'm fine," he told Sera.

She rolled her eyes. "No, you're not," she stated. "You're bleeding and, if you can't get yourself back together, you're going to get hurt badly by the robotic soldiers here." Ivan didn't appear to be listening. Sera exhaled heavily, her weight resting on her back foot. She crossed her arms over her chest as she went on, "Fine. Don't worry about yourself. Go ahead and die by the sword, if that's what you really want."

"What I want is to make Kari safe," Ivan muttered. Sera found herself resisting the very powerful urge to physically slap some sense into her companion. However, she knew that blows were not the solution here.

"I know, Ivan, I know," the girl said. Arguing with him was futile, she realized, and she knew that she didn't have time to waste in fighting with her ally. She looked at him, drawing his narrow eyes to return her gaze again. "Don't you think I understand what being a Dragoon feels like? We all have our commitments and responsibilities to the 'destined, not to mention each other. I know you feel terrible right now, trust me. We've all screwed up at one time or another."

"But Kari could be dead already!" Ivan yelled, his exasperation piquing. His arms were in the air, his expression frantic. "I've been charged with her safety for years now, and in the end I'm the one who's responsible for her death. I brought her here, and I never thought about the risks. I never." Ivan discovered that he was unable to find proper words. Expressing his grief was beyond his verbal command. His breathing was rapid, his chest rising and falling visibly beneath his hauberk.

Sera smiled sadly and brought the boy's arms down from the air with her hands. "Does she feel dead to you right now?" she asked seriously. Her gaze darted back and forth between the Guardian's azure eyes.

Ivan thought on the question for a minute, his hand snaking from Sera's grasp to find the amulet resting against his chest. "I don't think so," Ivan managed to say at last. "But I don't know where she is, or if she's safe." Sera shook her head, shaking the boy's arm as well.

"You've done all you can for her right now, okay?" she told him. "Kari is still alive, and I don't think you need to worry about her. She's a strong girl, Ivan, and she can take care of herself. What's more, you're no longer the one charged with her protection." Ivan raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about, of course I have that distinction," Ivan said, almost feeling defensive. "I was given that obligation years ago." Sera sighed, taking a couple steps away from the boy.

"You love Madelyn, right?" Sera asked over her shoulder.

"Absolutely," Ivan returned. He was about to continue, but then thought better of himself. Sera wasn't questioning his fidelity. As she turned on her heel and looked at him with such earnest eyes, he knew that she believed him.

"Then tell me, Ivan," she asked softly, "In whose hands besides your own would you rather trust Maddie's safety? Who else on our planet or this one do you believe can serve her better? Would you prefer some deity to take your place as her guardian, or do you intend to keep your position as both her lover and her shield?" Sera paused, rubbing her shoulders subtly. "Who better to be her security than the man who loves her?"

Ivan found himself at a loss for words again. Perhaps the thought had never crossed his mind before, but now that he contemplated the matter, "Of course I trust myself," Ivan whispered. The prospect of being replaced irked him, though he wasn't exactly sure why. If someone else could confirm Maddie's safety, then he thought he would trust that someone. "But would I?" he asked himself. "Would I really let someone else take over as her guard-"

Ivan then looked back at Sera, understanding in his eyes. "TK?" he asked, slowly. Sera nodded, her eyes on the metal flooring.

"I spent a long time talking to Kari when we were on guard," Sera admitted. "I actually ended up telling her a lot about the life I had before this one. I surprised even myself with my openness." She shook her head, chuckling lightly. "I've hardly thought about the hell I went through under my father's guardianship for such a long time. But then I saw Kari and TK come back, and all the old fears fired up again.

"I'm not sure that I'll ever get my proper emotions back about relationships. My father destroyed a lot more than my virginity with his actions. And when I saw Kari, who seemed so innocent and so pure, I was alarmed immediately by the proximity of another guy. I couldn't trust your judgment on the subject, as you could quite easily be convinced to look the other way if Maddie was there." Ivan made a motion to interject, but Sera silenced him with a hand. "I was alarmed at first," she clarified, "but I'm not anymore."

"What do you mean?" Ivan inquired.

"Kari didn't talk too much about her relationship with TK, but I could see so much more in her eyes," Sera said. "She loves him, Ivan, and she trusts him with her whole being. I didn't give TK much credit at first, but I know better now. I mean, I feel that I've already learned so much about the kid just through Kari. And that kind of emulation is what I'm talking about." Sera was looking at Ivan again, her expression sincere. "You love Maddie, I'm sure. You'd do anything to keep her safe and happy. In that same way, I know that TK will do everything in his power for Kari's safety and happiness. I know this because Kari knows it, and she showed me while we were on watch last night."

"But," Ivan said hesitantly, indignity warring with acceptance. "But TK can't do what I can do," he ultimately protested. "He hasn't been training as much or as long as I have been, and he can't use Dragoon armor, and he doesn't-"

"Do you really think those things matter?" Sera interjected. "This isn't about who has the bigger bicep, or who can change into battle armor. This is about love." Sera paused. Her arms were hugging her shoulders again, tightly, as she looked about the confining, metallic room. "You can fight better than many people, I'm aware," the girl added, "and I know you feel responsible for using that ability for TK and Kari. But right now, I want you to think about how strong the power of real love is. And then, imagine how you'd feel if you lost your gift." Again she paused, rolling her head from side to side. Tension was building up on her neck again.

Ivan, meanwhile, was struck by what Sera was telling him. The thought of losing his power suddenly terrified him, for his abilities had truly become a part of him. He knew he wouldn't lose his skills, at least not until he willingly returned them to his sovereign. And yet, his stomach turned at the thought.

"You would still feel entirely responsible for Maddie, wouldn't you?" Sera cut into Ivan's discomfort. He nodded, somewhat numbly. "And you would be just as good a guardian for her then as you are now." Ivan looked at her, his brow furrowed. She, in turn, rolled her eyes. "Protecting the people you love isn't contingent on your strength of arm or even your strength of mind." Sera placed her hand gently over her heart, her eyes focused intently on her fingers as they brushed her black gi. "The strength here is what matters. And that strength will be enough to sustain a security and joy far greater than anything your sword or your Dragoon armor could ever provide."

"And the same is true of TK and Kari?" Ivan asked. He already knew the answer, before Sera nodded her reply. Ivan found himself thinking again, his eyes distant. The concept was mildly disturbing, but Ivan knew that it was already true: he had handed Kari's security into TK's hands. He could do all that he wished with his weapons and armor, but in the end it was TK who would be the deciding factor in Kari's life. Likewise, Kari was now in charge of TK's protection. Though her actions were doubtless more subtle, only she could stand as a ward between TK and the challenges before him. Ivan was smiling, and tears were once again in the lids of his eyes. They didn't sting this time, though, and he almost welcomed the feeling. Without guilt, Ivan felt a small part of his burden lift from his shoulders.

"I never realized how much had changed while we were away," Ivan noted, rubbing his eyes with his hands and rolling his shoulders. He then looked at Sera, who was standing against the archway of the door to the stairwell. Her hands were clasped around her shoulders, and she watched Ivan with a sad smile. "How did you ever become so insightful?" Ivan asked, walking over to the girl and resting a hand over one of hers.

Sera giggled, tossing her head to the side to move her hair behind her ear. "I've had a lot of time for thinking," she explained. "I've been stuck working with Hakin for a long time, and I still haven't found a way to sleep properly when he gets into his snoring fits." Ivan smirked.

"And so you stay awake, contemplating all the deepest and most central aspects of love?" Ivan asked, grinning at the girl. Sera shrugged her shoulders.

"Something like that," she told Ivan. Her eyes were staring up at his again, and Sera couldn't help but smile. She ignored the nagging presence at the back of her head, and simply smiled.

"Are you feeling more ready?" Sera asked after another moment. Ivan nodded, clapping his hand on her shoulder once before stepping back and looking at the door to the staircase.

"I think so," Ivan confirmed verbally. But, as he dropped his hand from the girl's shoulder, he winced. Sera was aware of his discomfort at once. She looked to Ivan's shoulder and found that he was still bleeding. Ivan wore a sheepish grin as he noticed his injury again. "Maybe we should take care of this first, though," he suggested. Sera nodded.

"Sit down and take of the shoulder plate," she told him. Ivan knelt on the metal floor, but was only able to get his good arm at the strap holding the shoulder plate in place.

Sera watched him struggle for a minute before sighing and swatting his hand away, ordering, "let me." Ivan submitted to her request, and Sera soon had his armor loosened sufficiently. She lifted the shoulder plate from his neck to hang over his chest. Sera's brow furrowed as she studied Ivan's wound, now more visible and apparent with the metal moved. "We could really use some medicinal stuff to treat this," she told Ivan. "I don't want you to get infected."

"But you sent Maddie off to the robots," Ivan chided in response. Sera smirked.

"Well, I'm sorry I'm not as qualified as your princess," she retorted. She reached underneath her gi top and brought out a small, black satchel. "Just be glad I came prepared." From her bag, Sera pulled out a small bottle and a long strip of gauze. She opened and tipped the bottle onto a portion of the gauze, which she then held over Ivan's arm. "This may sting," she told him.

Ivan winced as the cloth pressed against his wound. "Wow," he exhaled. His eyes were wide, nearly pained. Sera adjusted the gauze, covering the wound with a dry portion of the fabric now.

"The wonder's of iodine," she commented. "Not the same as Maddie's array of chemicals, but it'll get the job done." She stopped talking as she finished cleaning out the laceration. Then, as she ripped the gauze into two strips, she concluded, "as I always say: if it was good enough for Don Quixote-" she tied the first strip tightly around Ivan's arm "-then it'll be good enough for you." Sera laid the second strip of gauze over the first to staunch any further bleeding, then tied off each bandage on the other. She tugged on the bandages after she was done, confirming their security. "I think that'll do," she said.

Ivan rolled his shoulder weakly. "Yeah, it feels a little better," Ivan agreed. With a hand from Sera, he set the shoulder plate back into place over his arm. "Maybe next time the metal can actually stop the weapon, eh?"

"Pipe dream," Sera returned. Ivan glared at her playfully. Sera shrugged her shoulders. "It's the truth," she insisted. "I'm not gonna lie to you about that; armor just doesn't work as well as we would hope. At least, not traditional armor."

"This isn't more on the true power of love, is it?" Ivan asked with a skeptical grin. Sera sighed, turning away from Ivan with a shake of her head.

"I was going more for the amulet around your neck," she said. "It's a shame we can't use 'em in here, and make all of this adventuring far easier."

"I figured," Ivan assured her. "But yeah, we can't go risking that strong of an energy signature. We don't want to draw that much attention to ourselves, not yet." Sera's head nodded, her hair bouncing against the back of her gi.

"So let's get moving, shall we?" She offered. "The sooner we get to the generator, the sooner we can get back into that real armor." Ivan nodded his agreement, falling in step behind Sera back to the door to the stairwell. She carefully opened the unlocked door, passing the handle to Ivan silently.

Sera made a motion for Ivan to be quiet from this point on. As the metal in the atrium had caused their voices to echo and reverberate, Sera feared that even their footsteps might cause enough noise to alert some interior security to their presence. If they were discovered, Sera knew that they would doubtless be repulsed from their objective. She was not in the mood for such a rejection presently.

As furtively as she could, Sera moved down the staircase. Ivan watched the girl spiral out of his vision without a sound, one metal step after another. He was impressed, and feared that he wouldn't be able to move as stealthily as she. He had no alternatives, however; stepping lightly, Ivan worked his way down the staircase after Sera. With each step, he would move his foot cautiously to the metal plating, always wary for a loose joint or a creaking plate. Once assured of the solidity of the stair, he would proceed and repeat the procedure. Ivan knew that his slow progress would earn a host of insults from Sera, but he swallowed his pride for the time being; he was far more afraid of what she would do if they failed in their mission.

All too soon, Ivan found that the staircase had cut off. He blinked, looking around the small room that the stairwell opened onto. There was a single exit doorway, through the window of which Sera was staring. Otherwise, the nondescript metal enclosure was just like the room above: a large array of piping along the ceiling, and seamless sheets of plating along the walls. If he didn't know better, Ivan would have sworn that the stairwell had led them back to where they had begun.

Ivan was about to risk whispering to Sera when her hand flew up for silence. Ivan jerked his head back in reflex, blinking at her palm. With her other hand, the girl grasped the door handle and gently eased the door open. She ushered Ivan through with her first hand, to which he readily responded. Ivan found himself in a T-shaped intersection on the far side of the door. Sera was behind him a moment later, coaxing the metal portal back into place. When she was satisfied, she grabbed Ivan's sleeve and brought him to the wall against the hallway before them. Her eyes darted up and down the crossing hallway, and then down in the direction opposite of the doorway.

When she was sufficiently satisfied with their present safety, Sera placed her lips against Ivan's ear. "This is one of two floors used for the preparation of the drones," she told him in a whisper. "There are a bunch of these blocks-" she placed her hand against the wall "-that house training and programming systems. There are also a pair of security checkpoints on each floor between the staircases."

"Staircases?" Ivan asked, his voice hushed but urgent. "There's more than one?" Sera nodded, somewhat glumly.

"That was a surprise to us, too," Sera admitted. "There are four staircases in all: one that we just came down, one from here to the second training floor, one from there to the manufacturing stations, and one from there to the generator floor. They're stationed at opposite ends of each floor as a way to deter any progress by intruders." Sera smiled slyly then, though Ivan couldn't see her expression presently.

"And what are we going to do about these security checkpoints?" Ivan asked. Sera shrugged her shoulders, glancing again down the hallways for personal assurance.

"I'm not sure," Sera said when she returned to Ivan's side. "If we can, we'll avoid the points. If we can't, then we'll have to come up with some clever solution for getting around the guards." She paused momentarily before adding, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." She then turned on her heel and moved along the wall, away from Ivan.

The brown-haired boy was behind her in an instant, keeping low and against the wall. He wasn't exactly sure that any actions would effectively conceal them from a computer sensor, especially when there was no cover. Still, there was a certain sense of security in keeping against the wall. At this point in time, Ivan was thankful for a sense of security; he wasn't feeling nearly as dependable as he usually did.

As they walked, Ivan was struck anew by the immaculate appearance of the facility. Unlike a typical factory, this site had hardly a microbe out of place. The only disorder was found in the pipelines above them, but even they seemed to have organization, if more subtle than the rest of the factory. Nevertheless, Ivan looked up and down the halls again and was amazed; everything was so perfect, and so identical. He felt a faint sense of fear from getting lost in this complex, where there was no way to distinguish a proper way to go, but he paid it little mind. Sera was here to lead him, and with her company he had nothing to worry about.

The first intersection that they came to sent off a branching path to the left. Sera glanced down the aisle for some time, but shook her head after a while "Still further to go," she informed Ivan as they proceeded. The second break occurred after several more paces, this time presenting a sort of fork. Sera hardly paid attention to the right-hand route. After a single look down the corridor, she took the left hallway and continued her lead. Ivan shook his head in subtle amusement as he jogged after her; he really would be lost without Sera's guidance.

Sera arrived at the next intersection first. This intersection was shaped like an X, continuing on in front of the pair, as well as veering off to either side. Sera studied the halls that extended off at right angles from their present course. She suddenly snapped back against the wall. Ivan stared at the girl, following her lead but nonetheless confused. After a moment of silence, Sera risked looking around the corner a second time. She was far more relaxed this time as she returned, but the look in her eyes was intense.

Sera looked up at Ivan, noticing his evident confusion. Sera raised her left hand and swung it around in the air a few times as if she were holding a sword. She then jerked her thumb over her shoulder, indicating the hallway that opened behind her. Ivan nodded, his mind then racing for a manner in which they could evade the enemies. As an afterthought, Sera held up four fingers in front of Ivan's face – four drones were standing on guard not far down the hallway. The girl's expression was grim – they had come to their first checkpoint.

After a third glance down the corridor, Sera walked away from the intersection. Her hands were on the back of her head, and she was looking back and forth. "There must be something around here aside from smooth steel walls," she insisted mentally. Ivan followed the girl in her musings, disappointed in his own incapacity to provide an answer. Sera, meanwhile, paced from wall to wall, running her hands along the metal. There were no creases or seams, and she was thoroughly frustrated. She sighed, finally throwing her back against a wall and staring at the ceiling.

Sera's expression changed then. She blinked, making sure that her eyes weren't deceiving her. Then she stepped away from the wall, her head still tilted back. Ivan followed her gaze to the ceiling and-

"On the pipes?" Ivan thought as he noticed the array of pipes again. Sera was nodding when Ivan looked back at her, and she was at his side in an instant.

"Give me a boost, would you?" she whispered into her companion's ear. Ivan nodded. He looked back up at the ceiling for a proper opening between the pipes through which Sera could fit. Once he found a suitable portal, Ivan ushered the girl over. Then, placing his hands on the girl's waist, he lifted her up from the ground. Sera's hands grasped the metal pipes as soon as they were in reach and, finding them to be pleasantly cool, heaved herself up into the network.

Once Sera had lifted her body through the opening with little more than a squeak of metal, she turned herself from facing the ceiling to the floor. She spent a minute finding proper places to place her weight, and then moved down the pipes a short ways to check their sturdiness. The space between the ceiling and the pipe network was cramped at best, but Sera was still able to move forward on her hands and knees with relative ease. Pleased with the opportunity, Sera dropped a hand between two of the pipes before her and waved for Ivan to follow.

Ivan was shocked by the camouflaging effect of Sera's black gi against the black ceiling. He nearly lost sight of her once she began to move, his eyes straining to pick out the girl's fair face. Then, seemingly from the darkness beyond the pipes, a hand came down and waved to Ivan. He shook his head, and looked up through the nearest opening in the pipes. He bent and extended his legs a few times, preparing himself for a jump. He needed to make a clean jump, and he knew that he had only one chance. The bars weren't too far above his head, but Ivan was still nervous.

Then, with a final look at the beckoning hand, Ivan squatted and sprang upwards. His hands, outstretched, grasped the lowest pipe with relative ease. Ivan smiled at his accomplishment. He then began pulling his body upward, moving slowly to avoid stressing the pipe. Once he was able, Ivan reached out his right hand for a higher pipe. He hauled his upper body up over the lowest pipe, his eyes adjusting to the darker space above the lights on the pipes. He saw Sera then, and smiled at her. The grin on her face told Ivan that he looked ridiculous in his present situation. Ivan rolled his eyes and reversed the grip of his left hand, shoving his body over the pipe.

As Ivan did this, the metal scabbard on his hip collided roughly with the silvery wall behind him. A sharp metal clang rang out in the corridor, echoing loudly off of all the metal walls. Sera's expression dropped, her eyes wide with disbelief. Ivan suddenly felt as if he had been shot in the chest, the metal ringing standing as a rifle's report. He closed his eyes, struggling the rest of the way up into the piping system. Then his eyes sprang open again, another noise coming to his ears. Nearby, four sets of feet were rushing down the left-hand corridor to the source of the disturbance.

Before Ivan could think of a way to hide himself, Sera's hands were on his biceps. Ivan's brow furrowed in confusion, but had no time to think as the girl tugged on him. Yielding to her pull, Ivan slid across the pipes onto Sera's body. She rolled over so that Ivan was on top of her and threw her arms around his shoulders. Ivan suddenly understood Sera's plan, hiding himself on top of the girl as best as he could. He was mindful enough to avoid crushing her, but considered little else. All too soon, Sera's arms tightened against him and he froze.

The running feet had slowed to a walk now. The drones marched around the intersection of the corridors, scanning for any sign of the disturbance. All of the hallways were bare, however. Slowly, almost uncertainly, the machines began to patrol the scene of the noise. They looked up and down, checking the floor, pipes, and then the walls. Under close inspection, one drone distinguished a set of fingerprints on a metal wall. With a silent command, it called over its three companions. They responded immediately, marching from their respective investigations. They studied the handprint on the wall with interest. They then looked about the halls with renewed vigor – the source of the prints should have been nearby. The drone to find the marks looked to the ceiling. His eyeless head was turned upwards for a great deal of time, scanning the ceiling all around the cross-hair intersection.

The pipes all appeared to be in order, however. Nothing was broken, and there were no other signs of intruders in the blackness.

The drone failed to see the fingerprints that Ivan and Sera had left further down the hall on the very pipes that it studied. Even as its gaze passed over Sera's back, the machine could not distinguish any sign of an invader against the black ceiling.

A moment later, the drones reconvened at the intersection. From the corner of her eye, Sera could see them now. Though they made no noise, it was clear that the machines were communicating – perhaps on a radio wavelength, thus inaudible to her human ears. They continued to look around, almost nervous about the prospect of an invasion. At length, the group consented on returning to their post and was soon marching out of Sera's line of sight.

As the footsteps of the four drones faded down the corridor, Sera let her muscles relax. She didn't realize how tense she had been until after the danger had passed. She rolled her head from side to side as she lifted up her arms. Ivan lifted his head from Sera's shoulder, his expression apologizing for his accident. Sera closed her eyes and shook her head; they were safe, and were sufficiently unnoticed to be able to proceed.

Sera's eyes suddenly jumped open. She stared at her chest, and felt heat quickly build behind her cheeks. Ivan blinked at her expression, then turned to follow her gaze. As he moved, Ivan's right hand slid from Sera's breast to her stomach. Ivan's muscles were suddenly tense all over again, realization dawning on him. The impression of Ivan's hand was still faintly visible against the cloth of Sera's top. The boy swallowed hard, an abrupt feeling of discomfort washing over him.

Sera's breathing was heavy, her eyes narrow as she glared at the top of Ivan's head. Her cheeks were hot, and part of her mind was thankful for the relative darkness of their environment to shade her expression. Even through her thick gi, Sera could still feel Ivan's hand, the impression that his fingers had left against her skin. It was a sensation that she was entirely unprepared for, and as hard as she tried to rationalize the point as a simple blunder, she knew that such a simple answer didn't explain why they were both so suddenly nervous and uncomfortable. Sera closed her eyes again, wishing that she could hide within her clothes entirely. After all her years of work to protect her body with the heavy fabrics and cold emotions, she herself had brought Ivan too close, in a most literal sense.

Ivan slunk away from the girl after a moment, his eyes downcast. He wished that he could apologize, but his voice was unresponsive. Moreover, he couldn't bring himself to look at the girl. He was actually surprised that he wasn't being hit. After Sera didn't move, Ivan did venture to glance at the girl. Her eyes were closed, and she was still breathing heavily. Yet, as Ivan was about to look away, he noticed something peculiar. Through the shadows, he could see a blush in her cheeks. Ivan looked down instantly, a second wave of guilt crashing against him. Of course Sera wouldn't strike him. She never took her anger out against her friends; she saved it all for the next drones that she fought. Instead, Ivan knew that he had hurt Sera much more deeply. Though he knew that his action carried no meaning, he was equally aware of what a violation of this girl's privacy entailed.

"Sera," Ivan whispered, his voice finally returning. Sera's eyes snapped open at his voice. She looked at Ivan briefly, and then rolled to her hands and knees without a second thought. Ivan was thus cut off, feeling a distinct tearing sensation in his heart. Sera was moving quickly across the network of pipes, and Ivan was forced to follow her to keep from losing sight of her in the gloom. Hunched on his knees and elbows, Ivan worked his way after Sera through the ceiling space. Though he looked up occasionally to ensure that he was still following properly, Ivan's eyes focused mainly on the metal-plated floor.

Sera's stomach was turning as she crawled across the pipes. There was a voice in her head that was nagging at her again, and she was forced to listen. Even though she hadn't expected any physical contact with Ivan in the first place, this was far from her idea of a pleasant experience. No, any dreams she had were not at all like this. Walking through the forest and holding his hand after this was over, that she had hoped for. Enjoying a nap in his arms after the Digital World was secure was another fantasy. They had been harmless thoughts, too; harmless little diversions that had jumped back into her head after seeing Ivan again the previous night. They had come back, and showed no sign of relenting.

"And what would ever make him different?" the voice in the back of her head demanded. She cringed. "How is he any different from him?" Sera shook her head, biting her lip in an effort to keep from crying.

"Not now," she pleaded. Any tears that fell to the ground could call attention to them for a second time, and Sera knew that she could not bring herself to touch the blue-cloaked boy again, let alone lay him on top of herself. She paused on the metal rails and took a deep breath. "Not now," she repeated within her head. Mercifully, the nagging voice abated. Sera was left with only her thoughts as she continued moving.

Ivan kept at Sera's heels, ever mindful of his metal scabbard. One hand held the hilt of his weapon, forcing the sheath to rest firmly against his thigh, while the other slid along the cylindrical pipe before him. Sera's pace was surprising him, and from time to time he feared that she would slip is she didn't slow down. But then she did slow down, abruptly. Ivan found himself nearly skidding into her as he halted, his momentum still wishing to move forward. Ivan didn't need to look to understand why Sera had stopped, however: they were now over the four drones on guard.

Sera watched the four machines beneath her carefully, forcing her mind into focus. The drones weren't moving, just as she remembered; they simply stood back-to-back, two drones gazing down each direction of the hallway. Against the wall was a computer interface, within arm's reach of two of the drones. Some twenty feet further down the hallway, there was a pair of doors, one on either side of the hallway – entries to the programming rooms. Another twenty feet beyond the doors, the corridor opened into another T-shaped intersection. "Well, we've gotten this far," Sera told herself. "We can cover the rest of the distance without incident, right?" She hesitated, looking at the drones again. They did not look up. She took a deep, silent breath.

After a moment, Sera began edging forward. She was infinitely aware of every noise in the corridor, her senses wary of even the slightest disturbance. She moved forward a foot, and then another foot. She was nearly on the far side of the drones now. Holding her breath, Sera turned her head to look down on the drones for reassurance. As her eyes caught sight of the metal machines, a bell system rang out starkly through the hallways. Sera jumped, her muscles contracting involuntarily. To her further surprise, she found that she was actually hitting the black ceiling. The scrape of concrete hurt through her gi, and her body tensed in response. Thus, when she hit the pipes again, her focus was lost. She was slipping then, her center of gravity shifted from the pipes to an opening on her left.

But Ivan's grasp was instantly firm around her waist. He braced his legs against the metal poles and carefully set the shivering girl back on the network of pipes. As soon as he was sure that she was secure, Ivan let go of her. Not only did he fear any further intrusions on Sera's personal space, but Ivan was also drawn to watch the results of the blaring siren.

Curiously, the drones beneath the pair of humans didn't mind the ringing. As thankful as Ivan was for the coverage of noise during Sera's collision, he couldn't help but be perplexed by the inaction of these drones; they simply switched positions with their partners to look in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, the two steel doors on the training rooms opened at the sounding of the bell. A steady line of drones emptied out of each room, then began marching down the corridors. The line from the room on Ivan's left walked toward the security checkpoint, and then continued on down the corridor. As they passed underneath him, Ivan noticed that these robots were unarmed. He blinked in confusion. "Why wouldn't they arm their soldiers, when they're built to fight?" he wondered. "I thought that they were always equipped with a weapon."

Ivan could dwell on the thought for only a few seconds, before Sera's pointing caught his attention. She was indicating the other troop line, which marched away from them and down the right-hand pathway from the T-intersection. She then began crawling forward, her energy and courage recovered. At the least, the clomping of metal feet from the drone columns gave the two humans enough coverage to proceed without concern for the scraping of their feet against the steel pipes.

Sera was intent to find out where the drones were going, getting the distinct impression that they were headed in the direction of the stairwell she sought. They were moving in the right direction, anyway. "But why would drones be proceeding downstairs, instead of up?" she asked herself. From what she and Hakin had gathered, production of the drones was always an upward process: manufacturing on the bottom floor, then programming above that, then more programming and training to complete the process. "Did we miss something in the schematics?"

But as Sera came to the end of the hallway, she was dismayed. The drone column had disappeared. The clangs of their metal footsteps were fading fast, and Sera knew that she couldn't match their pace by crawling. She sighed as she moved on.

Ivan could see Sera's disappointment in the slackening of her speed. He looked down, knowing that he couldn't catch up to her query any better than she could. At least, they couldn't hope to catch up while on the pipes. Ivan looked back, ensuring that there were no drones that could see them any more. He sighed with relief; there were no other drones on guard aside from the four that they had already passed. The other turn from that intersection led to a dead end with a sealed doorway. The brown-haired boy was subtly curious about what rested on the far side of the door, but knew that investigation of the plant was far from his objective. Instead, he brought his focus back to Sera and grabbed her heel.

Sera paused at the tug, spinning around slowly to face Ivan. With a weak smile, he pointed to the ground. "Should we get down?" he whispered, in case she couldn't see his gesture through the dark. As he watched, Sera's head nodded a response. Ivan took the lead this time, swinging himself over the pipes to the nearest gap and lowering himself down carefully. Again, he was conscious of his weapon on his side, making sure to keep the scabbard from the pipes. When his arms were stretched to their full length, Ivan looked down and swallowed. He was dangling above the ground still, and had at least two feet to cover. He groaned.

Reluctantly, Ivan tugged himself back up onto the pipes. His arms strained, tired from the sudden exertions of the day already. Sera stared at the boy questioningly when he was finally on the pipes, rubbing his shoulders beneath his armor. She caught his gaze, and he managed a small smile. "My boots," he explained. He then reached down and began to untie both boots. He handed both to Sera, keeping the treads from colliding with the piping. Sera seemed to understand now, and took the boots without a second thought.

Duly prepared, Ivan moved back over to the gap in the pipes. His shoulders were sore, but they were strong enough to let the boy move down slowly and evenly. When his arms were again fully extended, Ivan tried to reason how best to land without creating any noise. Ultimately, he found that the simplest way down was probably the quietest as well. He let go of the pipe after a last glance up at Sera for reassurance. His feet connected with the metal first, and Ivan moved his weight forwards to minimize the impact. His hands were on the ground then, and his knees and elbows bent under the impact. Ivan didn't move at first, instead, listening intently for any signs of approaching drones. Hearing nothing, Ivan sighed in relief. His body relaxed, and he slowly stood up straight. Ivan was suddenly grateful to be standing again, able to stretch his back after being cramped in the makeshift crawl space.

Sera watched Ivan with amusement in her eyes, laughing to herself at his graceless movements. Once he was standing, Sera picked up Ivan's boots and hung them through the opening. His eyes saw them at once. With a smile to Sera, Ivan snatched his boots from the air and sat down, reattaching his boots to his feet to complete his armor. Sera rolled her eyes. "Typical," she thought with a shake of her head, "he's more focused on getting his shoes on than helping me down." But before her mind could start analyzing the possibility of his attention if another girl were in her place, Sera moved her body over to the opening. The less time they spent idly in the hall, the better.

Ivan was on his feet as Sera's legs emerged in the opening above him. He stood and watched her. Instinctually, his hands moved out to catch her as she came down. Sera smiled to herself, and then reversed her grip on the metal pipes to lower herself down as best she could. Ivan grabbed Sera around the waist once her arms were fully extended, and couldn't help but smile at her grateful expression. Sera found that she was smiling, too.

And at once, Sera forced her way from Ivan's grip. She turned her back on the boy, closing her eyes and pressing her open palms against the steel wall. Ivan's smile fell away; he looked at the girl curiously. An inkling of understanding dawned on him then, and he walked over to the girl's side.

"Sera, I'm sorry," he whispered once he was beside her. "I didn't mean to violate your space or anything, and I really didn't want to hurt you." Ivan let his voice trail off after that. Sera was shaking her head. Ivan's brow furrowed. "What's wrong, Sera?" he asked hesitantly.

But Sera just shook her head, running her forehead back and forth across the smooth metal. She was biting her lip. When Ivan didn't move, Sera sighed. She pressed her body against the wall and looked away from the brown-haired boy. "Not now," she asked of her mind again. "Oh God, why now?"

"Sera?" Ivan asked again. He placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to get her to turn and face him. At his touch, the girl reacted almost violently. She spun on her heel and faced the boy, her expression grim. Ivan took a step back, utterly perplexed.

"It's nothing," Sera managed after a moment. Her air was cold again, an expression with which she was far more comfortable. "Don't worry about me," she went on, "we have a mission that should command your full attention, understand?" Ivan nodded slightly, though his confusion remained on his features. Sera closed her eyes and turned her head away from him again. She couldn't understand why this situation had suddenly become so difficult.

"But Sera," Ivan said. He knew that he had hurt the girl, however unintentionally. He took a step toward the girl, his head dropping so that he could catch her gaze again. The clatter of the drone soldiers had completely dissipated by now, but Ivan's head was beginning to ring all the more loudly in fear of Sera suffering from his actions.

And then Sera looked up again. She forced a smile as best she could. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, hugging against her body. But in her discomfort and internal pain, she smiled. Her eyes looked back and forth between his rapidly, mirroring her nervousness. "Don't worry about it." Sera forced the words out. "It doesn't matter." She then walked past the boy, her shoulder brushing against his as she passed. Ivan turned, a feeling of defeat hanging over him.

Sera turned when Ivan didn't follow her. She rolled her eyes in frustration at his expression. "It really doesn't matter, Ivan," She whispered urgently, "so come on. We have to get to the bottom of this building before we run out of time. Are you coming or not?" Sera stared at the boy for a moment longer, then shook her head and turned away from him.

As Sera began moving again, Ivan gave up his fight and began to follow her. Whether the story she had given him was right or wrong, now was not the time to contest – he knew that. So he followed Sera's lead, once again slinking along the side of the hallway. Sera's attention returned to her mission, and her curiosity was drawn to discern where the column of drone soldiers had gone.

Ivan kept an eye on the path behind them as Sera led the way, through one turn, and then another. At the back of his mind, he still couldn't help contemplating his situation. What she said was making him incredibly confused and curious. "Did it really not matter?" Ivan asked himself. "She seemed distraught at the time. Then why would she lie?" Ivan looked at the girl ahead of him, but her black gi held no wisdom for his curiosity. Her body was shrouded just as well as her mind, despite the lights fixed above them. After another turn, Ivan forced himself to think about something else. "It doesn't really matter, anyways," he admitted. "Once we're done here, we can work out whatever else is irritating her."

As a remedy, Ivan turned his thoughts back to Kari. His mind was flooded with a sensation of worry almost immediately, and he almost regretted the change in topic. He then remembered what Sera had said. "Please let her be okay," Ivan prayed. "And please let her find her way to someone's protection, with Hakin and Maddie," Ivan paused. There was a smile on his lips as he finished his thought: "and TK; to him I transfer my guardianship. He'd better be with her now, keeping her safe until we get through this."

At that very moment, TK was slowly recovering his senses. He groaned as the throbbing pain in his head surged through his nerves when he moved. After a moment's consideration, he decided that sitting against the wall was a perfectly admirable place to remain. After testing his other limbs and finding that they were far less sore, TK dared to open his eyes. The cloak of blackness before his eyes alarmed him at first, but he did notice the dim outline of his hand on his knee. He sighed in relief; he wasn't blind. He was simply in a very dark place. TK's brow furrowed. He had been out in the daylight, as recently as he could remember.

"Then what happened?" TK asked himself. He closed his eyes, hoping to be able to concentrate better. He tried to reconstruct the events of the past hour as best he could. Though aching, his head did manage to process his desires: "We were out fighting drones and a robot at first, and then we were getting shot at by guard turrets. We split up into our two groups, so I went with Hakin. Maddie went to disable the gun turret over the robot factory, and," TK trailed off in his recollections.

The blond-haired boy opened his eyes again, but found no signs of Maddie or Hakin. "Where could they be?" TK asked, again to himself. He craned his neck to get a better view, but soon slumped back to the wall with a low whimper. His memory continued to play back in his mind, reminding him of the charge of drones that had knocked the boy to the ground. The collision of his head at that point was the source of his present duress. That incident also cleared up why TK couldn't see any of his companions where he was.

"But then," TK went on in silent dialogue, "where am I?" Running a hand through his hair, the boy vaguely recalled staggering away from the ground after his fall, and though he couldn't pinpoint where the transition had been, the light of day suddenly shattered in favor of gloom. A gloom highlighted in red, he noted, by a spare few fluorescent lights in red casings. As far as he could tell, he had walked in to the Digital World's equivalent of a darkroom.

TK yawned and shook his head in an attempt to reclaim another of his senses – his hearing. For some reason, all the sounds around him seemed to be muffled. The jarring assault of gunfire reports was surely to blame, and TK was hoping desperately that any damage they had caused would fade soon. After a few moments of rubbing his ears, he felt them pop and was rapidly relieved by his recuperating hearing. He smiled in spite of the pain in his skull, glad to know that he wasn't too badly injured after the chaos that he had fought through.

As soon as his hearing came back, TK heard a scuffling noise. His nerves were tense in a moment, his eyes squinting to see better through the dark. He was worried that his time of inactivity had placed him in danger. He also realized with a painful shock in his heart that he was unarmed – his staff was still lying on the ground outside, where he had fallen.

Though very undefined at first, TK could make out the hazy outline of a hunched figure some distance in front of him. He couldn't tell where the creature was looking, but he was somewhat relieved. The creature was ambling about in a way that was completely unlike the motions of a drone, or even a small robot. TK was almost certain that the being was human, but he didn't know if that was good or bad. His friends were supposed to be elsewhere, but it was possible that Hakin or Maddie had come after him. But, more likely, one of the owners of the factory was here to exact revenge on the intruders; the alarm had gone off, after all. TK winced in pain, trying to inch his way back into the wall.

At the scrape of his boot, TK stopped. But his halt was too late; the figure had noticed him. And TK was suddenly struck with recognition. The sight of the being before him flooded his senses with more emotions than he could count. He was shocked. He was frightened. He was curious. He was confused. Above all, TK was moved by a deep, profound emotion inside his chest.

Throwing caution to the winds, TK shouted to the figure before him.


	5. Break My Fall

The Ivani Chronicles : Book 3 – Rancor : Chapter 5 – Break My Fall

"Well, damn," Maddie muttered. There was a forlorn look in her eyes as she stared at the steel door before her, presently emerging from a faltering flame. She dropped her gauntleted arm to her side and sighed, letting the remnants of her spell dissipate. Though the walls around the doorway were now smoked and singed, the door seemed to have hardly noticed the onslaught of fire. She stepped gingerly through the mass of fused and melted machinery at her feet until she was close enough to place her hand on the doorway. She placed her palm against the metal portal and found it to be cool. She shook her head. "Not even lukewarm. They really don't want to let us out, do they?"

"Probably don't want to let us come in, either," A growling voice replied. Maddie glanced briefly over her shoulder, forcing a smirk in the bear's direction.

Maddie looked down at her feet as she walked back to her companions through the torched drone bodies. She managed a small smile at the sight; her magic wasn't completely without merit if it could reduce the half-a-dozen drones chasing Osakamon into this congealed mass of steel. She kept her gaze from meeting Hakin's, knowing that he would be grinning and jeering that he had told her so. When she heard him open his mouth, she interjected, "Don't bother. I'm aware that the magnetic field makes the doors impermeable. That doesn't mean you have to gloat."

"I wasn't going to gloat," Hakin said, hoping to sound sincere. He cast a sideways glance at his bear companion, who simply shook his furry head in amusement. "I was just gonna say that I'm sorry," he went on. "I know we're supposed to have TK with us here, too, but I don't know how we could get back outside."

"Well, we bust the generator to take down the field, right?" Maddie asked for reassurance. Hakin nodded in the affirmative. "Then we just need to get the generator down – shouldn't take us too long, I'm sure."

"And in the meantime?" Hakin ventured. "Are you sure TK's going to be alright outside?" Maddie shrugged.

"I hope so," she said. "He's a strong kid, not to mention pretty clever. I imagine that he'll hold together until we get back. At the least, the guard turrets have let up on their firing; he's safe from those for the time being. So, in the meantime," she added in a mimic of Hakin, "let's get moving on down into this facility. I'm not a fan of being inside on such a nice day."

Maddie then proceeded to kneel beside a small tent of what appeared to be metal fastened in the corner of the room. "Time to go, Filmaramon," Maddie said as she tapped the tent. On her words, the metal tent began to lose its color, becoming an opaque white. The form faded as well, fading from sharp edges and corners into an amoebic ball. But as soon as this change had begun, Filmaramon took shape again and leapt to Maddie's back. A moment later, while Maddie was picking Ryan up from his hiding spot beneath Filmaramon's tent, the digimon had created a carrying case sufficiently large to hold the child. Maddie smiled at her son, cradling him to her chest as she stood back up again.

"Hi, mommy," Ryan said exuberantly. "It was dawk in thewe. I don' wanna go thewe again, okay?" Maddie chuckled and nodded to the little boy. She couldn't help ruffling his wild brown hair.

"Okay, honey," she answered. "You won't have to go back there again. We're going to keep going forward though, and that means we have to be really quiet, okay?"

"Okay," Ryan agreed. He then held a chubby finger over his mouth to indicate his understanding. Maddie smiled back at her giggling son.

Maddie continued, in a stage whisper, "we can talk more once we get to a safer place. I'll let you know when. Filmaramon's going to hold you for right now, so that mommy can focus on keeping us safe."

"Idn't dat what he's fow?" Ryan whispered, his small hand now poking in the direction of Hakin. The man smirked, scraping his boot against the floor self-consciously. "And da beaw, too," Ryan added as his eyes fell on the burly beast in the room. The child's eyes seemed to light up at the sight of the big, furry digimon; he was remembering riding on the creature's back not many minutes before.

"They're going to help me, yes," Maddie told her son. "We're not going to be alone on this trip. We all need to be extra careful, though, so I'm going to need to keep us safe, too. We're going to work together." Ryan looked back at his mother, nodding his head in understanding. "You get to help, too," she added, "by being a good boy for Filmaramon. Is that okay?" Ryan grinned and again held his finger over his mouth. Maddie smirked, saying, "thanks, sweetie."

With careful, practiced moves, Filmaramon and Maddie moved the toddler from Maddie's arms into the seat that Filmaramon composed on her back. Once secure, Ryan hugged his arms across his mother's shoulders and placed his knees on either side of her waist. He was soon still, his head against her spine, and his breathing was even. Maddie waited a moment longer before moving over to Hakin and his digimon aide. "I think we're all set," she told them, her voice hushed.

"Then we'd best get moving," Hakin said with a nod. "We need to get to the bottom of this building as quickly as we can. The generator is guarded, but it's pretty susceptible to a direct assault. One good shot and we should be able to escape out of here without a problem."

"And then we can get to TK," Osakamon finished. Hakin and Maddie nodded. The brown-haired girl's eyes fell on the invincible door for a last time, her expression becoming worried.

"You'd better be safe until then," Maddie whispered. "Ivan would kill me if you weren't okay." Maddie then brushed back her hair, tucking the brown locks behind her ears. She looked at Hakin and smiled. "After you," she said with a wave of her hand at the other door in the room. Hakin smiled at Maddie.

"How kind of you," he replied, sarcasm hinting on his lips. He gave a small bow in Maddie's direction, and then turned to the thinner metal door. Unlike the door to the outside, this door yielded easily to Hakin's pull; it opened without so much as a squeak on its hinges. On the far side of the door, Hakin found himself staring down a spiraling staircase, lit with iridescent red bulbs. "Seems like security's on high alert," he commented as he began to descend.

Osakamon followed quickly on the heels of his friend. Maddie in turn followed the great bear down the stairwell. At first, she was deeply worried about the noise that their footsteps made as they descended. She had been worried enough about the impact of her son's voice. Hakin seemed to mind the noise little, however, and his digimon followed him dutifully without much concern for the reverberating footfalls. "I hope he knows what he's doing," Maddie muttered under her breath.

At the bottom of the staircase, Hakin was confronted with a second doorway, as thin as the one at the top of the stairs. The air had warmed considerably during their descent, and his ears were now greeted with the faint crashes of metal upon metal. Once Osakamon and Maddie were both safely at the bottom of the stairs, he warned, "From here on out we will need to exercise caution about our visibility. The factory is loud enough to mask the noise we make on the staircase, but the security within is little concerned with the noise of intruders. Here, they focus on seeing the target before terminating it."

Maddie nodded, catching on to why Hakin was so careless coming down the stairs. Hakin turned back to the doorway. He was cautious as he grasped the door's handle, looking carefully through the narrow window. After a few minutes of observation, Hakin seemed satisfied with what he saw. With a confident flourish, Hakin opened the door before them. At once, he winced in pain.

With the last barrier between the intruders and the factory breached, the full aural onslaught of the factory fell upon the intruders. Maddie gasped and clapped her hands over her ears. Filmaramon quickly covered Ryan's ears as he began to whimper. Filmaramon's makeshift earplugs soothed him, but only he had the fortune of any protection. Even Osakamon seemed pained, his ears flat against his head, and his eyes narrowing as he stared out the doorway from Hakin's side.

The noise came primarily from the grinding shrieks of metal upon metal. Though they couldn't see the factory's workings from their present vantage point, the clear sound of rending steel shook through the entire vaulted room. The other sounds were not unlike a jackhammer, driving long bolts of steel through the heavy plating for more robots. The factory's auditory assault was completed with the heavy banging of hundreds of automated hammers, tempering the plates and weapons into their proper shapes.

Complementing this crashing wave of noise was the onset of uncomfortably hot air. Indeed, the lighting of the room mainly spawned from the flashes and shadows cast by great conflagrations, which were used to shape and weld the various metal components. The resultant heat was vented only minimally though a series of fans in the curved ceiling surface. Sudden and oppressive, the heat of the room coupled with the red and orange flares rising up along the walls to produce a thoroughly diabolical cavern of steel. As he stepped into the room, Hakin had the unnerving feeling that he was walking into a forge of hell, rather than a construction of humans.

After allowing for a moment of adjustment, Hakin moved further into the room. As he recalled, they were initially on a catwalk above the factory. The curvature of the ceiling closed not far above his head, while the walls extended down nearly thirty feet to the ground. He studied the pathways that the catwalk made, looking for the ladder down to the floor. But he could not see any rungs that might indicate a way down. He frowned, resenting the need to explore the room to find a way down. A shiver ran through his spine, in spite of the sweltering heat in the room.

With no option, Hakin turned to his companions and waved his arms downward. He didn't explain the plan, simply ushering everyone to follow him on hands and knees. "If we're low, we may be safe from observation," he said in a feeble attempt to comfort himself. He then led the way, doing his best to focus on his goal rather than his physical discomfort. He was rapidly regretting his opposition to wearing a helmet for the day.

Osakamon did his best to crouch as he followed Hakin. His eyes scanned the geometry of the room time and again as he padded after his human friend. The catwalk that they crawled along, which was presently proving to be more mazelike than he recalled from the blueprints, was suspended from the barn-like ceiling by several metallic cables. His concern was not on the possibility that the cables might not support his weight, or even on the possibility of being discovered. Rather, he was contemplating his own descent to the factory floor. He knew that there were at least two ladders that offered access for humans and drones to move about freely. In his own case, however, he was stumped.

"The robots exit through a large ramp way," Hakin had explained to him the previous week. "The exit gate from that ramp is somewhere in the woods beyond the factory, concealed rather well for safety's sake. Also, that way, the robots have an easier time of assimilating into the rest of the digimon population. Assuming that they're properly cloaked, that is." He had grimaced then, and Osakamon had frowned.

When they were deployed in the Digital World, the robots from these factories always masqueraded as normal digimon. They wore synthetic fabrics that looked and felt like the skin of a digimon, and thus they could infiltrate the society of the real digimon before unleashing havoc. The result was devastating, inspiring fear of both the indomitable machines and each other. Many digimon living groups, including Primary Village and Secondary Village, tried to design tests to differentiate the real digimon from the imposters. The groups hoped that this method of detection might provide some sense of security, though the success of such attempts was minimal at best.

Osakamon shook his head, trying to discard his worries about his fellow digimon for the time being. His own actions were of a higher priority for the moment. "What did he say about transporting me?" Osakamon asked himself, his eyes looking for an alternate route through the braided steel bars composing the catwalk. It wasn't too far to jump, he reasoned, but his legs were crying out for a second opinion. "There's no way I could manage a ladder, either," he said with resignation. "Why didn't we just break in through the exit ramp? Even if we were more obvious, I could have been of help beyond this point."

Hakin led his two companions down the left-hand side of a fork in the catwalk. He then took a left turn through a four-way intersection. His next turn was to the right, a path that ran nearly parallel to the wall. All the while, Maddie's hands and knees were getting more and more sore. Unlike Hakin, Maddie wore little protection on her body; her necessary flexibility for using her magic demanded that she be unencumbered. Her crimson vest was lined with steel fibers, and she wore black shin guards over her black slacks. Her hands were gloveless, however, and the thin cloth on her knees was little protection against the pressure of the criss-crossed steel struts. She winced as she went around the right-hand turn. "Good enough for a distraction, though," she commented to herself mentally. Truthfully enough, the sound and the heat had since deadened in light of the throbbing ache building in her knees.

Hakin was finding himself in similar discomfort almost as quickly as Maddie. His armor and gloves were more substantial covering, but the padding beneath the metal on his knees was minimal. The joint still needed maximum flexibility, after all. He was thus inclined to take a short break as he reached the next juncture. With a heaving sigh, Hakin rolled into a sitting position on the grated metal. He rubbed his face with his gloved hands before looking to his companions. They both appeared grateful for the break. Maddie, in particular, was nursing her knees with red palms.

While Osakamon and Maddie rested, Hakin again looked around the chamber for signs of a ladder. He was forced to wait from time to time for a flashing tongue of fire to create adequate lighting. He squinted, looking all along the catwalk. At last, a plume of yellow flame cast light upon a large column that supported a portion of the catwalk. As the metal pathway came to a dead end atop that column, Hakin felt confident that the support served a dual purpose. Hakin turned back to consult with Osakamon.

"Yeah, that looks like the place from the overviews," Osakamon agreed when Hakin had explained his discovery. "It's the more convenient point, too." Hakin gave the bear a quizzical look. Osakamon pointed to the foundry's floor with his muzzle. "The security on the ground is pretty heavy," he elaborated. "Those drones won't be able to see us right away if we're on the far side of that metal column, though. Maybe we can find a safe route for you guys to follow from there to the doorway out of here."

Osakamon had piqued Hakin's curiosity. He hadn't been considering a standing body of resistance. Yet, when he looked down as Osakamon indicated, there were clearly four drones standing on guard. They were next to a large computer console, which in turn was fused to the side of one of the many industrial enclosures. Hakin knew the computer to be one of the facility's security uplinks. "If they hit that computer," he mumbled, "the entire building will be aware of us."

"It's probably best that we avoid detection then, don't you think?" Hakin smirked as he sat up straight.

"Too right, Osakamon," He rejoined as quietly as he could manage over the din of construction. He then leaned forward, looking back at Maddie. She was rubbing her palms together now, soothing away the dull aches as best she could. "Are you feeling ready to move on?" He shouted to her. Maddie's head jerked up in a wave of brown hair, surprise on her face. She saw Hakin then, and calmed herself; she nodded. "It's not much further on this," he added for reassurance. "The ladder's just a couple more turns away. Then we can stand up straight again." Maddie nodded again.

Hakin gave a final smile, hoping that it didn't appear too strained, and moved back onto his hands and knees. His body was reluctant to resume the crawl – his knees protested most loudly. He paid the pain little mind. Instead, he brought his focus to the layout of the floor beneath them. He crawled forward a little more slowly than before, allowing his eyes a better view through the metal bars beneath him.

On the floor, a series of smaller metal chambers stood as housing for many of the fusion operations. Conveyor belts connected some of the small rooms, while a chute of raw materials fed into the others. The most dazzling effects came from the far side of the room, which was home to a veritable lake of fire. Here, a series of six conveyor belts that were doubtless designed with heat-resistant materials moved plates of metal back and forth between the two largest compartments. The further chamber shook with a sound reminiscent of jackhammers, while the closer station clanged with the repeated impacts of hammers.

The pool of ignited coal was not the only source of fire in the room, but was by far the most impressive. The effect of the fire on the metal was visible even from Hakin's position on the catwalk. Metal would emerge in a solid state from one chamber, and the same metal would be nearly liquefied by the time it reached its destination. The starkly contrasting sheen of red fire against the metal walls further augmented the visual draw. Without the fires burning, only a handful of sparsely placed neon bulbs would light the room, Hakin noted. He was hampered by this situation more than he would have liked; the disparity of light between flashes was hurting his eyes and, as a result, his head. The room seemed actively bent on causing him as much discomfort as possible.

Hakin did his best to maintain focus, however. He kept his eyes on the chambers and belted paths between them. He traced out a pathway that he and Maddie could follow through the maze of machinery into a fairly safe position. As he was planning, he remembered that Osakamon wouldn't be able to follow. His stomach made a rather uncomfortable turn. His expression contorted in displeasure; "I don't need more complications right now," he groaned. The others didn't seem to hear him as he went on: "and it's gonna be hard enough to conceal Maddie and I down there. What am I going to do with this gigantic bear at the same time?" He could not concentrate any longer, he found. And with that, he gave up on planning any further; they would handle the challenges ahead when they came. "One step at a time," he reminded himself. "We get to the ladder first, and then I go down. We can think more after that." To his slight amusement, he knew that his knees appreciated that plan of action.

Maddie's attention was presently drawn to the drones on guard. She hadn't noticed them before, but after watching the hushed discussion between Hakin and Osakamon, she had caught sight of the four machines. She sincerely hoped that they didn't look up from their positions; despite their crouched positions, Maddie felt horribly vulnerable on the catwalk. She was even more nervous about the visibility of her son, swaying back and forth on her back. To his credit, Ryan was behaving more complacently than Maddie could have hoped for. He had been quiet since they first entered the room. Nevertheless, the comfort that his presence brought was muted by her anxieties. 

"Ivan," Maddie whispered forlornly, "why can't you be here? I know I'm not alone here, but it still feels that way when you're gone. I don't know that I can protect Ryan on my own. He needs his father. And I," Maddie stopped herself. She bit down on her lower lip, casting aside her impossible wish. Ivan was working on his own mission with Sera. She needed to be strong for him, and she needed to be strong for Ryan. She did her best to rally herself as she followed her companions across the metal lattice. Time and again, she reminded herself, "I need to be strong for Ryan."

With a grateful sigh, Hakin stopped his crawl and sat on the catwalk. He dangled his legs over the edge, his heels hitting against the steel column that supported the rungs of the ladder. "We're here," he called over the mechanized clamor below them. Osakamon and Maddie nodded, following the brown-haired boy's lead. Maddie resisted the urge to hang her legs over the catwalk for fear of detection. Sitting instead with her legs crossed, she exchanged glances with her companions. Hakin then voiced the question that had been hanging at the back of his head to Maddie: "I can get down the ladder easily enough, and I imagine you can too. But what are we supposed to do about Osakamon?"

Maddie raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, what are we supposed to do with him? He'll come down too, won't he?" Osakamon and Hakin looked at each other, frowning.

"I'm not able to climb up and down ladders," Osakamon said. "I'm a little too big, and my coordination is less than perfect, I'm afraid." He hung his head in concession. Maddie simply shrugged.

"I didn't expect you to," Maddie assured the digimon. "I thought that's why I was here." The bear looked up curiously. Hakin was equally surprised, his head cocked to the side. Maddie's brow furrowed. "You did bring me along because of this, right?" she asked. Hakin shook his head. "I can use magic, remember?" she told them after a pause. "I thought I would just levitate Osakamon down to a safe place once we were settled on the ground floor. That wasn't the plan before?" Hakin's mouth opened and closed a few times, realizing just how absent-minded he had been.

"Of course!" he exclaimed at length. He leaned back and laughed in what he hoped was a hearty tone. He still failed to mask the embarrassment he felt, as Maddie's slanted grin demonstrated.

"You were actually thinking of leaving Osakamon up here by himself?" Maddie cried in disbelief. Hakin's laugh dissipated into a defensive waving of hands and a cowering expression.

"No," he insisted. "I just wasn't sure how to get him down safely. Ya know, maybe have him jump from here onto a machine, then onto a lower platform, and then onto the ground. I just hadn't quite thought that far." He looked self-consciously at his hands, avoiding the jesting glare that Maddie and Osakamon both wore.

"It's okay," Osakamon said. "I would've been comfortable waiting up here until you two had completed the mission. It would have made my day a lot easier, to be honest." The bear then sighed. "Now I'm disappointed. Do I have to come?" Maddie rolled her eyes.

"Of course you have to come," Maddie snapped. "If I'm stuck down there with just Hakin, we might as well just jump in the smelters now." She grinned at Hakin, who was presently staring at her indignantly.

"As good as the smelters, eh?" he asked in challenge.

Maddie folded her arms across her chest. "Care to prove me wrong?" she returned, her expression remaining playful. Hakin nodded his vigorous reply. Maddie dropped her gaze to the ladder at his feet. "Then, why don't you be a gentleman and make sure we'll be safe once we get to the ground? The longer we can stay on the floor uninjured, the more likely I'll be to reconsider my judgment. Maybe you can even convict me of being hasty." Hakin couldn't help but return the girl's grin.

"Alright," he said, "you're on. I'll make sure the floor's clear, and we'll be at the generator before you know it. When I'm through with this place, calling your accusation hasty will be the understatement of the year." Maddie giggled as Hakin turned away from her.

Thus Hakin was in the lead once again, descending first down the long ladder to the foundry floor. He swung his weight carefully over the ledge and grasped the top-most rungs. He checked the positioning of his axe against his back, assuring himself that it would not hit against the steel column as he climbed down. The cast-iron rings on his back held his weapon secure, and for this stability he was thankful; everything else seemed to resonate with unpredictability. Once he was confident, Hakin began climbing down the many rungs of the ladder.

The experience of his climb was quickly reminding him of climbing into a veritable fire. The air grew denser, more heated, with each rung. Hakin had been sweating before; he now had the sensation that he was melting. He was struck with the mental image of an ice cube dissolving on a frying pan. Hakin blinked hard and shook his head, scattering beads of water from his brow. The palpable warmth did not abate, however, and the young man knew that his only salvation would come from his endurance. Step after sweltering step, Hakin continued to work his way slowly down.

Maddie and Osakamon were peering over the ledge in worry. They glanced back and forth between the drones on guard and Hakin. "What's taking him so long?" Maddie asked loudly after a moment, her nerves despising the suspense. Her voice barely carried to the digimon beside her, though; the reverberating hammer strikes continued to cloud the air with noise. Osakamon only shrugged his great shoulders. He then looked back at Hakin, squinting in the flashed of firelight.

"He's moving pretty slowly," Osakamon agreed. "Don't know why, though. Maybe the air is hotter or something, so he has to adjust." Osakamon looked back at the drone guards and asked, "are you sure that this spell you're planning will work?"

Maddie smirked. Glad for a change of subject, she said, "Yes, it will be fine. Fire's my area of expertise, sure, but Kilvaramon was sure to introduce me to many other parts of the magical sphere. Wind, in particular, is one of his favorite aspects he wouldn't be able to fly without the wind and air. So I imagine that that I can whisk you down the thirty feet to the ground, no problem." She waved her hand in the air dismissively, as if to signal her confidence.

Osakamon nodded slowly, mulling over Maddie's words in his head. After another pause of waiting, he decided to question her further: "What's this magical sphere that you speak of?"

Maddie looked at the bear skeptically. "Do I hear right?" she said. "Is Hakin's companion actually interested in the field of magic? Does he actually intend to learn something?"

Osakamon returned her gaze, saying, "Is that odd?" Maddie sighed, smiling.

"No, it's not odd, exactly," she said as reassuringly as she could while straining to ensure that she was heard. "I just thought that since Hakin's head is simply full of bone, and since he hardly thinks of magic, that his digimon buddy might be likewise inclined. Not to sell you short," she added hastily. "You have interests in talents that are beyond me, too."

"Don't worry about it," Osakamon said. Maddie could only smile sheepishly. He then went on, "I guess I'm just more curious than Hakin is. Then again, maybe we should save this discussion for a little later?" Maddie blinked in confusion, and then followed Osakamon's gesturing muzzle.

Hakin had just reached the ground. He wiped his brow with the back of a gloved hand and sighed laboriously. The air was heavy now, weighing down on him and forcing him to exert himself to simply breathe. He smiled ruefully, realizing that the factory was a surprisingly good defense system all on its own. He soon forced himself to look up at his allies, far above him now, and managed a weak smile. He mouthed, "It's all right," up to the girl and the bear. As an afterthought, he added a thumbs-up sign for good measure.

"I guess it's safe, then," Maddie breathed, such that only she could hear. She suddenly felt nervous.

Osakamon gave the girl a nudge with his snout that he hoped was reassuring. "Your turn," he told her. "Don't worry, Hakin's made sure that the ladder's safe." Maddie nodded to acknowledge that she had heard him. Then, exhaling again, she slipped first one leg down onto the rungs of the ladder, followed quickly by the other.

Almost at once, Maddie felt the temperature of the air increase. She had only moved down a few rungs before she was forced to stop. She wiped her brow in an effort to relieve the discomfort that the air seemed to press upon her. "This will be horrendous for my hair," she grumbled. Her affinity for fire had forced her hands to cope with temperature changes over her time as a Dragoon; the rest of her body had not been likewise exposed.

With a shake of her head in resolution, Maddie returned to her descent. She knew that Hakin was incredibly comfortable, even worse off than she on account of his heavy armor. She decided that a quick climb might make the transition easier, like jumping into a pool of cold water without hesitation. She quickly moved down to the next rung. Her movement was perhaps too quick – her outstretched hand slipped off the rung, thrown by sweat on the metal. Maddie gasped as her body swung outwards from the metal beam.

In order to catch herself, Maddie grabbed quickly back at the ladder with her free hand. Her feet slid from the lower rung in the process. She cried out as gravity tugged down on her, straining her arms. Her grip held, and she felt secure for an instant. In the next instant, Maddie heard a penetrating scream from beneath her. With a sickening lurch in the pit of her stomach, Maddie realized that she no longer felt the weight of Ryan and Filmaramon on her back.

Hakin had been watching from when Maddie first started her climb. He realized that Ryan was falling at the last second, thanks to the toddler's piercing cry. Hakin hurtled forward with outstretched arms. Filmaramon, ever alert, canopied her form as Ryan's carrier to slow their descent. Her change did little; Hakin was still brought to his knees by the unbalanced catch. He winced in pain as Ryan let out another high-pitched wail. Since Filmaramon's covering had been dislodged from Ryan's ears, the boy was now fully exposed to the immeasurable din within the great chamber. He was undoubtedly terrified by the sound after his fall.

Hakin sighed. He was inept with children at best, and was presently unable to comfort or quiet the toddler. He stood up, holding Ryan against his right shoulder. He tried bouncing the baby up and down, and then rocking him back and forth, but Ryan was inconsolable. With a groan, Hakin looked up in search of some good news from Maddie.

Maddie had forced herself back into a stable position on the ladder before looking anxiously over her shoulder. With a sigh of relief, she saw that Hakin had broken Ryan's fall. Ryan was still shrieking for her, she heard; even she was surprised by her son's vocal strength. She turned back to the ladder, her effort to reach the ground renewed. Yet as Maddie's eyes wandered back to watch her hands on the steel bars, a flash of light illuminated something in the corner of her vision. Maddie whipped her gaze to the sight. An entirely new sensation of dread surged through her spine.

Maddie called out Hakin's name frantically, waving one hand wildly to him. He didn't seem to hear her, due to the screaming of her son and the clatter of machinery at work. He did look up after a moment, and his expression changed from concerned to shocked when he saw the girl, signaling him from the ladder. There was a sudden clash of metal that was frighteningly close to Hakin's ear.

"No!"

Maddie's waving stopped; her words fell on deaf ears. Hakin's body lurched forward, and Maddie watched his facial features contract sharply. His eyes were still on Maddie, but the curiosity seemed to fade in surprise and pain. Slowly, he let his gaze drop down to his chest. Though his head was drastically more clouded after hearing the crunch of metal piercing metal, he was quickly working out what had happened. The long, silver spike of metal jutting from the left side of his chest confirmed his fear. Drops of his own blood stained the steel weapon and dripped to the hot floor; there, they met a sizzling demise.

Maddie was paralyzed in place. Fear had taken hold of her heart, causing her to tremble in spite of the sweltering heat. She watched in horror as Hakin's face slowly looked back to her, his countenance now contorted in pain. She could feel tears springing from the behind her eyes. She knew that she needed to get to him, needed to help him. Her body refused to respond, however. She was incapable of helping her friend, just when he needed her the most. With an overwhelming sense of terror, a single thought became clear in Maddie's head: she was losing Hakin.

She could only look on as Hakin's arms let go of Filmaramon and Ryan. Filmaramon shifted into a tent of feigned metal for the second time, covering the wailing baby from the direct sight of the drones. With Ryan muffled, an eerie silence swept over the girl on the ladder. Though the machinery still rang out loudly in the background, the noise had since fallen to the background of Maddie's consciousness. Her attention was thoroughly centered on the scene playing out beneath her – fear for one of her dearest friends commanded her focus.

The sword suddenly wrenched back through Hakin's body. His already unstable balance finally gave out. With a staggering step, the warrior slowly sagged to his knees. There was no one there to help him; no one to break his fall. Behind him, three of the drone guards stood in an arc behind the fourth, whose silver sword now bore his blood. The forward drone took a step back as Hakin's shin guards crashed against the plated floor. He looked pale, almost ghostly in the firelight.

The closest drone was readying its weapon for a second strike now – a horizontal swing. Maddie's eyes widened, while fear redoubled its grip upon her. Hakin, unaware of anything aside from the searing pain in his chest, didn't even think to duck his head down to avoid the beheading strike.

"Stop!" Maddie surprised even herself with the sudden strength of her voice. Her call had the desired effect, however; the drones looked up the ladder, noticing that Hakin wasn't the only invader. The lead drone's sword arced out of place, missing Hakin's head by scant inches. Flakes of brown hair fluttered from his head in the wake of the swing. Their pause lasted only a second, however, and Maddie had not even recovered her voice before the drone's sword was again raised to strike.

A thundering roar shook through the entire chamber then. A whirl of brown fur flew by Maddie, though she hardly noticed. Subsequently, the room echoed with the twisting crunch of metal compounding upon metal. In the place of the drone attempting to behead Hakin, Osakamon was standing on all four paws. Beneath his feet laid the flattened and compressed wreckage of the drone.

Osakamon roared again, baring his teeth at the remaining drones. His feet hurt terribly from the impact of his fall, but he shrugged off the pain for the time being. Even the reopened cut upon his shoulder was but a distant memory; Hakin was his first and only priority. He swiped out with his right forepaw, missing the nearest drone by scant inches. The drones seemed nonplussed by the creature's efforts, however; their swords were at the ready. In turn, the bear digimon reared up onto his hind legs. Hakin was consequently obscured from the view of the aggressors, so long as his companion could fight.

With a final bellow that shook the entire room, Osakamon lunged forward.

* * *

"This can't be good," Kari murmured; the cold steel door had just snapped shut behind her. As a result, her vision was completely masked. Without the light from outside, only the chill and the darkness within the room remained to accompany the girl. Once she took a step forward, her shoulder cried out in reminder of her other companion. She winced, her left hand reaching up to grasp at her wounded arm. A wet and sticky warmth soon oozed between her fingers, further provoking Kari's apprehension. 

"There must be something I can use as a bandage," she told herself, trying to remember what else she had brought from her crate in the woods. She hadn't thought to grab any bandaging equipment, she ultimately concluded, as Sera had assured her that she carried every medical supply they would need. "Improvise, then," she thought. "What else can I use to cover up the injury?"

Kari found that her eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness now, for which she was thankful. The illumination of the room came from a series of dim red bulbs that lined the far side of the room. Kari was smiling then, a small sense of comfort settling over her nerves. She had spent enough time in the dark room at her high school to be comfortable with the low lighting. At the least, some light was preferable to no light at all. She looked around the room for a seat of some sort, but found nothing. With a sigh, she sat down against the wall beside the door that had sealed her inside. Though she found no chair, there was no sign of other life here, either, which she took to be a sign of safety. The environment was also exponentially quieter than the chaos that she had come from outside.

With a shake of her head, Kari brought her attention back to her cut arm. "Straight through the clothing and armor," she noted mentally. She pushed the lower portion of the sleeve up to cover her bare skin. The fabric proved to be far more absorbent than her hand had been. The fabric was slowly changing color, and she could feel the cloth moisten. She needed a more permanent solution. "A pain reliever would be nice, too," she thought with a slanted smile.

Her mind had caught the idea of absorbent cloth as a good interim bandage. She could also see that the loose sleeve hanging about her left arm was long enough to wrap about her shoulder. Now, it was just a matter of tearing a strip of her garment free. "Now would be a great time to have a knife," she realized. She remembered her sword, but was cautious of turning the weapon on her arm. With such low lighting, she was afraid of catching her wrist; an accident would certainly make matters worse, a danger that she didn't wish to tempt. "If TK was here, he could help." She closed her eyes, her heart tightening at the thought.

Kari ultimately opted to look around the room for some alternative solution. She had come to find TK anyways. She struggled to her feet and adjusted the cloth on her sleeve, pulling up fresh fabric to cover her injury. Then, hunched over to better see what might be on the floor, Kari began to scour the room for some source of aid, either in the form of medical supplies or an ally. Rather quickly, however, she found herself disappointed.

Kari felt it was an understatement to say that the room was immaculate. There were a few pipes that siphoned unknown gases from the floor into a network above her. Aside from those interruptions, the wall parallel to the alleyway was thoroughly free of clutter. The solid, flat wall of metal simply joined with the solid, flat floor of metal at a right angle Needless to say, there was no sign of TK. Kari passed a second doorway, and then came to a corner. "Ivan and Sera are probably just across the way from this wall," she thought. She sighed, shaking her head lightly. "I hope they're in better shape than I am."

Though doubtful of any new finds along the other walls, Kari continued to scan along the new wall. She quickly found that, though there were no loose items, that the wall was not as boring as the last. Rather, the wall curved out into the room and receded again, a pattern that repeated itself along the wall. The effect created a series of bulges and inlets. Kari walked back to the door she had found. Turning her head to the side, Kari found that the wall reminded her of waves on the ocean. She furrowed her brow, curiosity taking control of her senses.

Kari walked over to the first bulge, staring at the surface intently. The surface was not metal, but seemed to more closely resemble glass. The brown-haired girl could not see through the heavily tinted material, but her reddened reflection was dimly visible in the surface. She smiled at herself, amused by the distortion of her features that the glass's curvature caused. She turned from side to side, allowing herself a moment to check her hair as it was held in the circlet. Her attentions were needless, she soon found; her hair was just as she remembered it, albeit a bit more windblown. She rolled her eyes when she thought of what TK would say when he saw her. Despite herself, Kari had to admit that she was almost enjoying her title of a warrior princess.

Additional inspection proved to the girl that the remainder of the bulges on the wall was similarly covered: a large pane of curved, blackened glass inset on the metal curves. She couldn't fathom the purpose of the windows. If they were to serve as windows to see outside, they hardly accomplished their job. "Or maybe they need to be turned on?" she thought. As she reached the final window, which was the sixth by her counting, she had another thought. "This place is fully mechanized," she recalled, "so the guards of this place probably don't depend on information sent by visual light. If they can be in a room this dark without a problem, then it makes sense." A glance back at the light sources completed the picture in her head: "They depend on infrared radiation to see." She shivered, glancing over her shoulder self-consciously. But there was no other sign of life in the room.

Kari looked back across the curved wall. There were indeed only six windows; the straight wall was far longer than the curved one. "It's as wide as the main building, but only as long as the little towers on top of the two factories," she reminded herself. She wondered briefly why the windows were only along the one wall, but her thoughts were interrupted before she could form any conclusions; the pain in her shoulder was shooting through her nerves with renewed vigor. Kari winced, biting back tears. "Just focus on looking," she told herself, "focus on finding help."

Kari set her gaze back on the floor as she continued to hunt for some medical supplies. She was quickly convinced that her hopes were to no avail – of course she would not find any bandages here. "What would machines want with gauze, anyways?" she sighed. The only sight of note was finding a third door. The wall broke from its usual straight format to cut into the room. The wall then struck back, creating a box shape with the door stationed to face the alley from which she had come. The door itself was much thinner than the barricaded portals leading outside, and there was also a window in the steel panel. To her delight, Kari found that this window wasn't tinted, either.

Kari bent over to look through the narrow window, excitement resonating in her eyes. There was a staircase, curving down to a room that was most likely beneath her feet. After the dismal emptiness of the dark room she was standing in, the prospect of a new place to look for some sort of aid prodded at her curiosity. She was desperate for some help in binding up her wounded shoulder; her sleeve was proving to do little to stem the bleeding anymore, as it was fully saturated. Moreover, "TK could be down there," she thought with a sparkle in her eyes. "He would've gone down, I bet; there's probably more light down there. Or maybe-"

Just as Kari was reaching for the door handle, a small scuffling sound echoed through the room. Kari froze. A shiver suddenly sparked along her nerves. She could feel that the source of the noise was to her right – she could feel eyes staring at her hunched figure. There was no Ivan to protect her now. There was no TK to protect her, either. "It's down to me," she told herself, trying to well up some courage in her gut. She had faced off against one drone already. "I can face another one. I can do this. I can."

Then, with a surge of adrenaline, Kari whirled on the source of the noise and drew her sword. She held the weapon in both hands, knowing that her right arm alone was not reliable on its own anymore. But as she squinted into the darkened space before her, Kari could not make out any sign of a drone. She frowned. She took a few steps forward, looking anxiously for the source of the disturbance.

Kari found that there was no drone standing in opposition to her. As dismal as the lighting was, there was still no sign of a machine trying to attack her. She lowered her weapon slowly. Questions ran through her head, trying to discern if the noise had simply been a construction of her imagination. She shook her head, dropping her gaze from the wall. Something then caught her eye – a shock of light in the pressing gloom. Kari blinked, looking at the source of light. She suddenly knew that she wasn't alone.

And her gaze connected with his. The light of his blue eyes struck at the very core of Kari's heart. For the second time in a single minute, Kari was stunned to immobility. Then,

"Kari!"


	6. Serenity

The Ivani Chronicles : Book 3 – Rancor : Chapter 6 – Serenity

"Kari," TK shouted again. Amazement shone in his eyes as a wave of relief rushed over him. The figure before him was no threat. With an effort, he forced himself to his feet. He could see the smile on Kari's face then. He realized that she must have been equally nervous.

"Hey there," the blond-haired boy whispered. He wrapped his arms around Kari, grinning into her hair. Kari cringed away, and TK released the girl at once. "What's wrong?" He asked, moving his hands to her shoulders. He lifted his left hand almost immediately, blood now smeared across his fingers. TK couldn't see the extent of the injury, but his eyes were wide all the same. "What happened?"

Kari tried to adjust her clothing to better cover the injury, both in worry and embarrassment. "Ivan and I were fighting a drone while we were waiting for Sera to open the door," she explained meekly.

"Are you okay?" TK went on, trying to keep his voice even. Kari nodded her head slightly.

"It hurts," she admitted, "but I'll live. I just wish I hadn't left all of the medical equipment in Sera's hands."

"Is it still bleeding?" Again, Kari nodded in response. TK frowned, looking down at the pair of satchels that he had with him. He knew without looking that he, too, had no bandages or medicine - Maddie had enough supplies to cover everyone. "Don't we have anything we could use?" he asked, as much of himself as of Kari.

"I was going to try to use some of this tunic to cover it," she told him, "but I don't trust myself to use my sword without catching my other arm. I really didn't want to be bleeding any more, so I've just been holding this sleeve as best I can." She paused for a moment before venturing to ask, "Do you want to try it?" TK perked up at once.

"Of course," he said. His eyes connected with hers in the dim, red light and she smiled. With ginger care, she drew her sword with her uninjured arm and handed the hilt to TK. As he took the weapon, he looked around for somewhere to seat the girl. "We're short on chairs," he concluded after a minute. Kari shrugged.

"I can kneel, if that will help," she offered. Without another option, TK nodded. The pair knelt down on the metal floor, facing one another. Kari then held her left arm out to the boy, explaining, "If you can cut a strip around my wrist, I think it'll be long enough to tie on my arm. Maybe two strips for good measure?" TK set to work at once, following Kari's instructions as he cut the tunic. He was quickly realizing how unwieldy and foreign a sword felt in his hands, especially when trying to make such distinct cuts. His focus was on Kari, though, and he ignored the discomfort in his knees and the cramps forming in his arm for her sake. Soon, he had two long lengths of pink fabric in his hand, at the expense of Kari's sleeve. Her tunic seemed oddly unbalanced now, with the bloodied sleeve hanging below her wrist while the clean sleeve was barely reaching her elbow. TK couldn't help but smile at the sight; even in dirty, bruised, and scarred clothing, Kari never ceased to take his breath away.

TK moved to Kari's right side, placing one knee behind her and the other beneath her wounded arm. He tried to get a better idea of the injury's location, but the low lighting and the matted tunic thoroughly repulsed his sight. "We need to do something about the tunic for a minute," TK said. Kari looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes large in the ruby light.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice soft. TK nodded, though he didn't understand. He also wasn't sure why his heart rate was accelerating. He thought at first that it was his darling's smile that had set him off. But as Kari turned her back on the boy, he found that he was wrong.

As carefully as she could, Kari removed her gloves. She then slipped her tunic from her body, starting with her left arm. She was exceptionally careful as she took the fabric from her wounded shoulder. The white T-shirt that she wore underneath the tunic was likewise stained with her blood about her shoulder. She let the heavy tunic pool about her waist, now supported only by her belt.

Kari paused, her hands at her waist. She gazed at TK, warmth in her eyes that the boy didn't recognize. She whispered, "I love you," and then dropped her head. She then tugged the hem of her shirt up. She eased her right arm through the cloth first, keeping a careful eye on her cut. Swallowing her nervousness, she pulled the shirt the rest of the way from her body. She laid the T-shirt before her knees, and then leaned back, in her kneeling position, trying to not look at her boyfriend.

TK did his utmost to keep his jaw in place. He had seen Kari in a bathing suit before, he reminded himself. Seeing her in just her bra wasn't any different. His body insisted otherwise. He felt like his heart would break at the rate it was moving; his palms were sweating; his knees were trembling, even though he was kneeling on the ground. He took a deep breath, tentatively stretching out a hand to her unhurt shoulder. "Kari," he exhaled. His thumb ran along the white strap over her shoulder, confirming that there was nothing else between his hand and her skin.

Instinctually, TK dropped his right arm around Kari's waist, pulling her to rest against his chest. Kari's eyes slid closed, her left hand clasping over his arm. "Hey, TK," she whispered. She nuzzled her head against his. He kissed her cheek, her ear, and trailed his lips down her neck. Both of his arms were around her waist now, his eyes shut against her collarbone. His hands were warm against her stomach, hugging her tightly. She giggled then, in spite of herself. Her hand moved from his wrist to his hand, tugging on the pink cloth wrapped between his fingers.

"Can we put those on me before we go any further?" she asked him. TK nodded, forcing himself to chuckle as well. With a shake of his head, the blond-haired boy released Kari and moved back to her side. Kari brushed her hair to the side, using her left hand to hold it out of TK's way. With soft, measured movements, TK brushed away all of the stray fibers in her injury and cleaned the blood from beyond the incision. He then wrapped one of the makeshift bandages around her cut, covering the length of the wound effectively. He tied a firm knot to keep the fabric in place, though he did his best to keep from hurting Kari too much in the process. Her eyes were clenched in pain, he knew, but he forced his hands to confirm the bandage's tightness. So long as the cloth was secure, he figured that her wound would heal more quickly. The other strip, now damp with the blood that he cleaned from her arm, he discarded to the side of the room.

"One bandage will have to do," TK conceded. Kari shook her head in agreement, venturing to open her eyes. She looked at the bandage, tight about her shoulder, then to TK.

"Thanks, TK," she said quietly. "It should help a lot." Now daring to use her injured arm, she held out her hands to the boy. TK smiled at her, gratefully returning the embrace. He buried his head against her collarbone again, his hands running along her bare back. Kari's hands were on his shoulders, and she rested her chin against the top of his head. "Thanks," she repeated.

Gradually, TK raised his head from Kari's shoulder. His eyes looked at the thin chain around her neck, her crest hanging just above the cut of her bra. He brought a hand from her back to her neck, his fingers running along the cool metal. He looked up to Kari's eyes, silently seeking her permission. Kari's only response was a small smile, her head tilting to the side slightly. Then, slipping her hands behind TK's head, she leaned forward to kiss him. The familiar bursting sensation shot through the boy's heart once again, his hand rising to cup Kari's cheek.

Kari took a hand from TK's neck and placed it over the boy's hand. She lifted his hand from her face and rested it against her neck again. As she continued to kiss him, she began to lead his hand along the necklace. His fingers were soon tracing the outline of her crest, then her skin underneath. Her hand led him lower, however, and he was suddenly feeling thoroughly inexperienced. His experience was inconsequential, he soon found, as his emotions and instincts were as good a guide as he could ask for.

His fingers gently brushed over the skin exposed from her bra, then along the fabric itself. His fingers spread over her breast, lightly squeezing and massaging her through the cloth. Kari sighed against TK's lips, returning her hand to his neck as she renewed her kisses. Her nerves were ablaze with new sensations, driving her emotions to heights she didn't know existed. She caressed his cheek, his chin, his neck, and his ears with her small hands as she kissed him fervently, almost clumsily.

TK continued to massage Kari's chest. His fingers were tingling with anticipation. He ran his hand up over her bare skin again. She was softer than he had ever imagined. He meanwhile tried to focus on kissing the girl, relishing in the feel of her hands on his skin. His free hand curled around the back of her neck, playing with her hair as it swished across his fingers. He couldn't help focusing on the exploration that Kari was giving him, though. His hand began to move down over her breast again, this time ignoring the barrier of her underwear.

Kari gasped as she felt TK's hand move inside her bra. But she didn't hesitate in complying, rolling her shoulder to slip off the strap. The tension on the fabric faded, letting the air brush against her skin unabated. TK's hand was against her skin now, too, as he cupped her breast in his hand. She sighed again, pushing her chest towards him. She managed to whisper, "TK," in the boy's ear as she kissed his cheek. "Oh, TK."

"I love you," TK whispered in answer. With regret, he then forced his hormones into check. He knew that there were greater responsibilities and dangers that needed their attention. After stroking his fingers over Kari's breast a last time, he dropped his hand to the brown-haired girl's arm. He lifted the strap of her bra back into place, doing his best to make sure that it was as he left it. He then kissed Kari's ear and slipped his hand down her back. He hugged her tightly, kissing at her neck.

Kari smirked, wrapping her arms around TK's shoulders. "Not exactly the best place for our first time, eh?" she asked. TK shook his head against her shoulder. Kari sighed in mock-frustration.

"There are too many other things to worry about right now," TK said, trying to convince himself as much as Kari. "But maybe," he added, raising his head from her shoulder to look in her eyes, "maybe we can continue this once we get through here. Once we're back home, we can spend some time being closer together." Kari grinned at the boy. Simply seeing his eyes, shining blue in open defiance of the red lighting, was enough to win her over.

"Absolutely," she agreed, "though I don't know that I could keep your hands off of me if I tried." TK's expression was suddenly shocked and, soon thereafter, indignant. Kari giggled. She grabbed the boy's chin and kissed him a last time before picking up her shirt and throwing it over her body.

TK opened his mouth a few times, searching for words of retort. But before anything came to mind, Kari had finished tucking her tunic back into place and was on her feet, brushing off dust from her clothes. Satisfied, she turned to TK with a wide smile. "Thanks for helping me bandage my shoulder," she said over TK's stuttering attempt at a response. "It was a very... therapeutic experience." She then turned from TK, walking back to the thin metal door with a swish of brown hair. The boy could only stare, his cheeks suddenly hot.

After a moment, TK had recuperated enough to speak: "Any ideas about what we should do in the meantime?" Kari turned back to him, her expression quizzical. TK elaborated, "Can we get back to Ivan and Maddie? Or is there something we can do to help them here?" Kari shrugged her shoulders.

"The doors to go back outside are locked," she informed him. "I don't know that we can get out, even if the electricity is cut; the doors will probably stay where they are, and we don't have anything to move them with. I don't know what we can do to help from here, either. My best guess for what we should do is through this door-" she jerked her thumb over her shoulder in indication "-which is where I was going to go before I heard you skulking around."

"I wasn't skulking," TK said defensively. Kari simply grinned at him. "To tell the truth, I was trying to get better hidden from you." Kari's mouth fell open in shock. "I didn't know it was you at first," the boy added quickly. Kari forced her expression to be firm, disapproving. "I thought you were going to be a drone or something that wanted me dead," he mumbled in conclusion.

"You'd better be careful," Kari said threateningly, crossing her arms across her chest, "or I may be that something that wants you dead." TK forced a sheepish smile. He was on his feet then, his shoulders slouched in submission to the girl. Kari rolled her eyes and turned back to the doorway. "Let's just get going shall we?" TK nodded.

TK moved to add a verbal apology, but Kari had already opened the door. As she swung the portal open, there was a loud yelp, followed instantly by a heavy thudding noise. Kari jumped back from the door, nearly falling into TK. Only his reflexes saved the two of them from falling. In the pool of light filtering through the open doorway, there was now a large, hairy mass. Part of the fur ball rose up, and the two humans quickly discerned that they were staring at the head of the creature. The creature then noticed them. At the sight, it seemed to cower.

"Oh great," the creature grumbled. The voice was startlingly familiar.

"Houndramon?" TK ventured.

"Busted," Houndramon muttered. He stood from the ground, shaking his paws to regain feeling. TK and Kari then noticed, for the first time, that Houndramon was limping as he paced before them.

"Are you okay?" TK said, stepping around Kari to kneel before the digimon. Houndramon forced a grin.

"I'm tougher than I look, TK," he said defiantly. "I'll be just fine. After all, I was well enough to come up here and make sure that you two weren't more drones."

"What are you doing here?" Kari asked, hundreds of other questions rising up in her mind. Houndramon bowed his head, looking sullen even in the bright light.

"Lyrmon and I were doing a fine job of leading that turret for a while," Houndramon said, "but as luck would have it, there were three drones waiting for us around the corner. We managed to dispatch two of them, but the third was just too much for her."

Kari's eyes narrowed. "Don't change the subject. You've been spying on us, haven't you?" she asked slowly. Houndramon stopped short. He swallowed audibly, doing his best to not look directly at Kari.

"I wasn't spying," he protested. "I-I was simply ensuring that there was n-no danger that would come from a-anything up here. There was s-some noise, and I-I didn't want anything to be threatening Lyrmon."

"I told him to leave it alone," a weak voice called from the stairwell beyond. Kari forced her rage and embarrassment down at the voice of the other digimon. She threw a scornful glance at the dog digimon before rushing past him to Lyrmon at the bottom of the stairwell.

"We'll deal with you later," TK said bitterly, standing to follow his girlfriend. The sudden pain in his chest was making him thoroughly uncomfortable. The thought of anyone eavesdropping on his private life irked him more than he could stand. "I hope you don't mind donating your fur to be a new rug," He added, stepping over the dog to reach the door. Houndramon whimpered, trailing guiltily at the boy's heels.

"Don't be too harsh on him," Lyrmon's voice came again. TK moved quickly down the stairs, hearing Kari gasp as he went. He was trying to imagine circumstances under which he would be more lenient against a trespasser. As he came to a stop at Kari's side, his eyes went wide. "He just wanted to make sure that I was safe," Lyrmon said. Her smile was genuine, compassionate, and pained at the same time. TK swallowed hard. The circumstances were suddenly becoming clear.

Lyrmon was huddled against the steel wall of the chamber. Her body seemed battered, nearly broken in two. The steel plating of both the wall and the floor were stained crimson under the fluorescent yellow lights. There was a large wound across her chest, as well as a significant gash across her right side - her presently exposed flank. Her fur had matted around the wounds, but her bleeding had yet to cease. Houndramon looked a little worse for wear, it was true, but he seemed pristine in comparison to Lyrmon. She looked down demurely. "It's not as bad as it looks," she insisted softly.

"Oh, God," Kari whispered. Her knees felt weak suddenly. She took a few steps forward before collapsing to her hands and knees next to the panther digimon. "Is there anything we can do?" she asked, desperation in her voice. Lyrmon shrugged her shoulders slightly. Houndramon padded down the rest of the stairs, past TK and Kari, to lie down next to Lyrmon.

"We don't have access to any medicine or bandages here," Houndramon said for Lyrmon. He exposed his shoulder as best he could for Lyrmon to use as a pillow. Albeit slowly, she did accept his offer. She gratefully leaned her weight against the other digimon, letting her eyes slide closed. "I think that the best thing for her right now is to rest," Houndramon went on. "Digimon heal pretty quickly, after all. Just give her some time, and I'm sure she'll be okay to go again." He rested his head on top of hers, a sad smile on his face. "You'll be okay soon, Lyrmon. We just have to let you rest is all." Lyrmon purred against him. "You'll be fighting fit soon enough."

Kari looked over her shoulder. Her eyes were urgent, questioning. TK could only stare back; he was at a loss for any way to help. He briefly thought of cutting more of their clothing for bandages, but the option seemed pointless – Lyrmon's torso was far thicker than Kari's arm. They didn't have fabric long enough at their disposal. He did his best to keep his demeanor positive. When Kari looked away from him, however, he knew that he had failed. He sighed, slowly pacing to Kari's side. With a tug on her arm, he brought Kari to her feet. The air felt colder against TK's face, but he shrugged off the chill with the fire of hope against his chest.

"There must be something we can do," TK stated. He looked to Houndramon, who stared back from one eye. "You've never been one to give up before-"

"Give up?" Houndramon interjected. His eyes were suddenly narrow. "I'm not giving up on anything. I'm providing everything that I can. You of all people should understand the merit of comfort as a medicine." TK faltered under the digimon's glare. But then Kari was at his side, her voice calm.

"Your gesture is certainly sincere," she assured the digimon, "and you must appreciate it, Lyrmon." The panther gave a small nod. Kari smiled softly. "And so I believe you," she continued, looking again to Houndramon. "You are doing the best that you can for Lyrmon. The problem is that TK and I are not. Comfort is a great provision, but there must be something else that TK and I can do to help Lyrmon get back on her feet faster. Do you understand?" Houndramon shook his head in the affirmative, though he moved reluctantly. He then turned his furry muzzle to look at the door behind him.

The black-furred beast said, "Lyrmon and I only came this far into the building after our initial retreat. It was well lit, so I decided that I would be able to fight better here. Lyrmon also has two exit options if something happens to me," he added under his breath. Kari and TK both nodded, looking from the digimon to the closed door. The dog's eyes followed theirs. "We never went through that door, though. If there's anything around here that can help us, it'd have to be through there. But the lighting's just as bad in there as it is upstairs, maybe even worse." Kari looked at TK, who already had a hoping smile on his face. Kari chuckled.

"We'll take a look," TK said. Houndramon nodded, a small yet grateful smile on his muzzle. The boy knelt down next to Lyrmon once more, whispering, "Hang in there," softly in her ear. She made no motion to acknowledge him. TK looked over his shoulder at Kari, his eyebrows raised in worry. Kari could only return the glance, biting down on her lower lip in restraint. TK's eyes then wandered to the door, focusing on the handle. Without a second thought, TK jumped to his feet and wrenched open the door. Determination swept through his senses, drowning out any doubt or hesitation that threatened him with inactivity.

Kari followed the blond-haired boy across the threshold, placing a hand on the hilt of her weapon. "We'll be back in no time," she called quietly over her shoulder. She couldn't see the digimon's reaction; she hoped sincerely that they would be all right until they returned. But the door had slammed closed before Kari could add anything more. She and TK were plunged into a stark darkness, enveloping them with supernatural rapidity. Even the peeking light from the window of the door seemed weaker, almost muted by the black air.

The couple paused on the far side of the door. They waited in silence, hoping that their eyes would adjust to the darkness. However, their senses only seemed to further decay over time. TK continued to blink his eyes, trying to clear away the film of black that had seemingly descended over his vision. He couldn't shake it. Kari had no better luck, groping blindly into the air before her. She caught TK's armored forearm at length, and she sighed. "Good to know that I can still feel things," she commented, her thin attempt at calmness causing TK to chuckle.

"I know what you mean," he replied. He raised his arm to take Kari's hand in his own. "Come on," he said with a tug. "I think I've got my other hand on the wall now. With any luck, we can get a feel for what's in the room by walking around the perimeter."

"Okay," Kari whispered. She let TK lead their expedition, straining to make out any distinguishing features in the room. She had little luck, though; even the doorway was fading quickly behind the shroud covering her eyes. An involuntary shiver ran down her spine. "Why is it so dark?" she asked TK. the boy in front of her exhaled slowly.

"I'm not sure," he answered in equal quiet. "But whatever it is, I still can't see anything. I'm not sure I can even make out the door we came through anymore." Kari squeezed his hand, hoping to reassure him as much as herself.

"It's only the dark," Kari said in a voice that hoped to be confident. TK smirked.

"You're right," he agreed. "It's just dark in here; nothing to worry about."

"Who said anything about being worried?" Kari rejoined, smirking in the darkness.

"I have no idea," TK said, shaking the hand that held Kari's.

A sudden crash of metal on metal shrieked out from the far side of the room. Kari yelped, jumping instantly to TK's side. Her eyes were wide, and TK could suddenly see her face again. She was bathed in a fluorescent green light, lighting up her horrified features as if with an eerie phosphorescence. TK immediately tore his eyes from Kari to look at the source of the light.

On the far side of the room, there was a large, hollow chamber with several neon green rods lining the back wall. The chamber appeared thoroughly cylindrical: a perfectly curved wall with a flat base and ceiling. The green light from the chamber was already fading, however, as a large barrier of blackness began to eclipse the chamber. The rays of green retreated rapidly from Kari's face, across the immaculate floor, and back to the interior of the chamber. There was a second, ear-piercing squeal from metal clashing on metal as the door closed completely.

TK turned to face Kari again. He could hardly see her in the darkness, but he knew that she was still terrified: her body was still quaking against his. "What's wrong?" TK asked in a hushed voice. Kari jumped. She looked around vaguely for TK's face, but found that her sight was once again completely veiled.

"I- I don't know," Kari mumbled. She shook her head, hoping that she could calm herself down. "I'm sure it was nothing," she went on, "just a loud noise and bright lights; nothing to be frightened of."

"Then why are you so frightened?" TK pressed. He looked back towards the source of the light. He squinted, trying to make out what may have opened the door.

"Forget about it-"

"Did you see something come out of that room?" TK asked. His voice was hushed, but an undercurrent of urgency was clear.

Kari sighed. Slowly, she nodded her head. "There was… something," she admitted, analyzing the image in her mind. "I don't know what it was, and I could only see the silhouette for a second. All I can remember is that in that second," Kari's voice trailed off. She shuffled her fee forward, until her chest pressed against TK's arm. He then felt the girl's head against his shoulder pad. "In that moment, I knew that whatever came out of there wanted to kill me. To kill you – kill everyone that matters to me." TK could feel Kari shiver. His heart was abruptly experiencing the sensation of a vice grip.

"Don't worry," TK whispered, his chin on the girl's head. "If anything came out of there, it would have to make some noise when it moves. I can't hear anything right now. Did you see where the thing went?"

Kari shook her head, her chin brushing back and forth across the boy's leather plating. "I blinked, and whatever was there was already gone. Just those creepy green lights were left."

TK mulled the thought over in his head. "Then I'll bet we're fine. I'll bet that what you saw was just your mind playing tricks on you." Despite his words, TK couldn't help looking around the room anxiously. He wished that he could make out more of the room. As it was, he could barely see Kari's hair without shoving his cave into her brown locks. "We'll be fine," TK repeated, half to himself.

Kari nodded and took a step back. "Yeah," she agreed. "I don't see any sign of that thing anymore, so I bet I was just imagining things. This whole place has me a bit spooked, after all."

I don't blame ya," TK said with a shake of his head. He went on: "Come on, let's see what we can to get out of here and onto something that might actually help Lyrmon ad Houndramon." With that, TK turned to move in the direction they had started in.

TK had taken only a few steps before he stopped again. He turned around, squinting desperately into the darkness. "Did you hear that?" he asked, his voice low. Kari blinked, looking around vaguely in the gloom.

"Hear what?" she returned. TK shushed her, leaning forward. He strained his ears, searching for what he had heard.

"It sounded like footsteps," TK explained after a moment. He stood up straight again, gradually, reluctantly. "More than just ours, that is. I got the impression that we were being shadowed or something." He shook his head. "I must be hearing things."

"I think so," Kari said slowly. "I mean, we can't have much of a shadow in here anyways, right?" She forced a small laugh, as no other way to cope came to mind.

"I guess you're right," TK said. With another breath, TK nodded and turned back to the wall. "If we can keep going, I bet we'll find that we're all set. There may even be some legitimate equipment stashed around here somewhere. They have to have some things for maintenance and whatnot, right?"

"I sure hope so," Kari whispered. "I'd hate to go through this darkness for nothing."

TK continued to walk, his left hand running along the wall to keep him grounded. His right hand, meanwhile, held Kari's firmly. With each footstep, he could hear the same noise again. The noise resembled horse-shoed hooves on a steel gangway. The noise was soft, nearly muted to his ears, but the sounds were there all the same – he was sure of it.

"I can still hear it," TK whispered over his shoulder. Kari looked u, searching for TK's face in the blackness. Her eyes were focused, but she could barely make out the boy's outline. Then without any further warning, TK started walking faster. He doubled his pace, tugging Kari's arm to keep her near.

The metal steps continued to match his pace. TK groaned, piecing together what must have happened. Some being had escaped before Kari's eyes and now it was stalking them across the room. Meanwhile, TK forced his eyes to continue staring into the darkness around the human couple. He hoped that he could spot any oncoming danger before it chose to strike at them directly.

Kari's breathing was hastening, though not from the ever-increasing pace. She may have missed the noises before, but she was now starting to catch the sound of footsteps behind them as well. Whenever she glanced over her shoulder, the impenetrable darkness was all that came to meet her. Even the door from which they had come was completely hidden from view now.

TK suddenly broke from his fast walking into an outright run. He dragged Kari after him, clenching his grip on her hand to remind himself that she was still with him. In his ears, the pounding of his blood matched the pounding of the steel footsteps behind them. His heart was racing. The thought of being attacked while unarmed was not high on his list of activities, and he was further unnerved by the oppressive darkness. "I might as well fight blindfolded," he grunted under his heaving breath.

The wall turned left, then back to the right. There was another right turn some time later, and TK nearly crashed into the wall in his haste. He cursed as he changed his direction, daring to glance back into the opaque blackness for a possible sign of their pursuer. There was no visible sign, of course; TK ran on, with Kari at his heels.

Without warning, TK's left hand collided with the handle of a door. He gasped, lurching to a stop at the sign of an escape route. Kari skidded into TK, oblivious of his halt. She cried out as she knocked into the blond-haired boy with a jolt. TK barely managed to keep his footing – he pulled himself upright with the door handle.

"Quick," he whispered urgently, "we need to get through this door. If we can close it behind us, then we'll know that there's at least something between us and the-"

"Wait," Kari said abruptly. TK's voice cut off as requested. The boy subsequently turned around, looking and listening in the darkness. But there was only black air and silence to greet him. TK's heart beat heavily in his chest, but there were no more metallic footsteps to match. TK sighed.

"Do you think it's gone?" Kai managed to ask after a moment of absolute silence. TK could only nod, squeezing Kari's hand for reassurance.

"Yeah," TK agreed verbally, "if only for a moment." With another glance around the room, he turned to face the girl beside him. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Kari told him. "I just need my heart to stop beating a mile a minute." She cast a wary glance away from TK, trying in vain to discern another outline in the black air. "I doubt that we're out of the woods yet, though. I hope that there's some light on the far side of this door. I can't stand not being able to see anything; I can't even see you."

"I know," TK said. He tried to even his rapid breathing as he continued: "light would be really helpful now. It's too bad Maddie isn't here to cast one of her spells; that would give us some sight beyond our noses, wouldn't it?"

"It's a shame," Kari agreed. She looked down, though she couldn't actively look at her shoes in the room. "I'm sorry I can't provide any aid, either," she mumbled.

TK paused. He dropped his hand from the door, looking over at Kari. "What are you talking about?" he asked her gently. He placed left hand on her shoulder. Kari shrugged.

"Light is supposed to be my expertise, isn't it?" Kari said, her tone saturated with dejection. "I should be able to do something about all this gloom, but I can't. I can't do what Maddie does, or what any of them do." TK smiled at the girl, though only he knew. He slid his hand from her shoulder to her cheek.

"You don't need to do what they do," TK assured her. "You do so much just as you are. Not only have you proven that you can fight now, but you've also shown just how dedicated you are to helping the other people and digimon that we're working with. "There are more kinds of light than the visible kind, Kari. Maybe finding something to help Lyrmon heal will help show you just how strongly your light shines." TK rubbed Kari's cheek for a moment longer, and then let his hand fall away from her.

"Thanks, TK," Kari managed to reply. She squeezed the hand that she held tightly.

"Always," TK stated warmly. His attention returned again to the door, hi hand gliding over the smooth metal wall in search of the handle. After a few moments, his hand hit the metal bar. "All right," TK said with more enthusiasm than necessary. He flashed a grin in Kari's direction then began to tug on the door handle.

As soon as TK had opened the door by the slightest margin, he heard a scraping noise directly behind him. His muscles froze. The sound was familiar – it was the same sound he recognized from his training practices with Ivan. Each time that Ivan had drawn or sheathed his weapon, the blade had invariably scraped against his scabbard. TK swallowed audibly. Apparently, their pursuer hadn't given up the chase so easily.

Kari never heard the sound of the drawn sword, but she could feel TK's body become tense. "What is it?" she asked, trying to look around the boy to see through the opening of the door. She then heard a decisive clang of metal upon metal. The sound mirrored the footsteps from before, but this time it was louder – it was closer.

In the next instant, TK had dropped to the ground. Kari screamed as she saw a long sword jutting from the door, glinting with a light that seemed to emanate from the blade itself. Kari reached for her weapon at once, but the sword withdrew before she could react further. With her sword in hand, Kari scanned the imposing blackness for any sign of the glowing weapon or its owner. She saw no sign of either. The light of the blade had disappeared into the gloom without a trace. Kari shivered again.

"What was that?" Kari asked as TK regained his feet. The boy could only shrug.

"You didn't see anything?" He asked in reply. Kari shook her head.

"One minute, there was your outline. The next minute, there was a bright sword in the place of your head. And then it was gone, just like that-" she snapped her fingers in demonstration. "I don't know where it went, or where it came from. I just – God." Kari placed her free hand over her eyes.

TK swallowed hard – again – and stepped next to Kari. He kept an eye focused on the darkness while his arms hugged the shaking girl. "It's okay, Kari," he said soothingly. "I'm okay. Whatever it is that's attacking us, I think it's just trying to scare us. It wouldn't have missed me if it meant to kill me."

"So, what," Kari muttered, "is it trying to scare us out of here? Is it just playing with us until it's ready to kill us?" TK shushed the girl softly, trying to calm her.

"I don't know, Kari," TK said, speaking in a whisper. "I don't know what's happening. But scare tactics won't keep us from helping Lyrmon, right? She needs our help, Kari. She needs help, and our only chance of finding any help has to be in here somewhere." Kari sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"I just can't stand seeing you get hurt," she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes dry. "Even though he missed, I could've sworn for a second that you hadn't moved."

"Ah," was the only word TK could find in response. He smiled half-heartedly as he stared at Kari's face. He couldn't make out her expression, but he could discern her eyes, large and shimmering, despite the oppressive darkness. He kissed her forehead, letting his eyes close for a moment. After staring at the black room for so long, it was almost relaxing to have his eyes rest behind his eyelids.

There was a sudden clanging noise from the far side of the room. Both children jumped, eyes snapping open again. The darkness gave no hint to the source of the noise, however. TK looked to Kari. "How about we get through that door, huh?"

"Couldn't agree more,"

Without a second thought, TK swung the door open fully. He placed a hand on Kari's back and forced her through. TK was right on the girl's heels. He did his best to pretend that the same sound of a sword being drawn from a sheath wasn't ringing in his ears as he rushed over the threshold.

The steel door swung into place behind the pair, banging noisily on its hinges and against its likewise metal frame.


End file.
